Take a Ride With Me
by Joanarc4
Summary: What if Logan and not Duncan was assigned to write the Bodie Chang story in "Credit Where Credit's Due"?  What if solving the Navarro case together led to an uneasy truce between Veronica and Logan?  Season One AU off of episode two, LoVe.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: Canon for Pilot only. AU off of Credit Where Credit's Due. What if Logan was the one assigned to cover the surfing competition in Gold Coast?

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Chapter One: Give Him a Little Credit

_Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I've found it useful to remember that bit of wisdom, because it keeps me from being surprised every time my life gets even suckier._

Veronica wandered into the journalism classroom and looked around. She knew Duncan was in this class – he was the editor of the Navigator, after all – and wasn't surprised to see Logan, either. She was a little surprised to see his current girlfriend, the oh-so-pleasant Caitlin Ford. When Veronica walked in, Caitlin was sitting on Logan's lap, and they were looking at something on a computer screen.

Seeing them made Veronica's stomach twist. Since Lilly's death, Logan had dated many girls, always ditzy and rich, never for long. She wasn't sure what it was that turned the boy who had been her good friend, an arrogant but surprisingly caring kid who worshipped one girl for years – Lilly – into "love 'em and leave 'em" Logan. Was it just Lilly's death? Somehow, she didn't think so. Since they weren't friends anymore, she'd probably never find out.

The journalism teacher, Ms. Dent, spotted her and moved towards her.

"Can I help you with something?" Ms. Dent asked with a smile, pulling Veronica's attention away from Caitlin and Logan.

"Yeah. The counselor stuck me in here." Veronica held out a slip of paper, and Ms. Dent took it and looked it over. "She says I'm disconnected and passionless."

Ms. Dent smiled at Veronica's sarcastic tone. Caitlin Ford called out from across the room, her voice bored.

"I'm gonna go down to the gym to talk to people about the student poll." She popped her hip to one side, tilted her head to the other. Veronica wondered how she didn't just teeter over.

Ms. Dent looked at her watch. "Okay, be back by the end of the period. And remember, we are a multicultural school with a diverse population of students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds."

Caitlin wrinkled her nose. "Meaning?"

"Meaning don't just interview your friends."

Veronica smiled a little at that, seeing the teacher with a smidgen of respect, while Caitlin rolled her eyes and flounced out the door. Ms. Dent turned back to Veronica with a grin.

"Well, Veronica, welcome to newspaper class."

"I was thinking maybe I could just take pictures?"

Ms. Dent frowned. "Well, I'm not sure if you can _just_ do that, but we can start you there. Do you have any experience with a camera?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. Some."

Ms. Dent led her to a supply cabinet and removed a standard camera. She started to explain to Veronica how to use it, but Veronica interrupted, pulling out her own state-of-the-art camera with custom lens and babbling about swivel LCDs and optical zooms and raw files until Ms. Dent sheepishly put the old camera away.

"I have your first assignment. Are you free after school tomorrow?" Ms. Dent asked hopefully.

"I guess." Veronica had been intending to spend some non-work time with Wallace and Backup on the beach, but she could always reschedule. Anything to get the counselor off her back.

"We're doing a feature on Bodie Chang, you know him?"

"Surfer. Up until twenty minutes ago, I was in study hall with him." Veronica smiled wryly.

"That's the guy. So he's winning all these competitions. He's got another one up at Gold Coast. Let me introduce you to the guy who's doing the story." Ms. Dent led Veronica across the room. As she realized where Ms. Dent was leading her, her shoulders tensed.

_Not him. Oh please, not him._

"Logan Echolls, this is Veronica."

Logan looked up from his computer, the surprise in his eyes slipping behind a mask of indifference almost too quickly to notice. He smirked at her.

"Hello, Veronica. Mars, isn't it? I think I've heard of you. Something about…ankles and ears."

The implications in his words and in his tone were obvious to Veronica, but not to Ms. Dent, who continued talking.

"Veronica's going to be taking pictures tomorrow and I arranged for you to ride with Bodie's parents."

"No, I'll drive." Logan kept his eyes trained on Veronica. She wondered if that was a challenge she saw in them or not. If it was, it was one she just wasn't up for today. No way was she in the mood to spend an hour in a car with Logan Echolls, obligatory psychotic jackass and the guy who had made it his personal mission to make her life hell for the last year. No way.

"I can drive too." She didn't back down from his stare. His eyebrow twitched upward when she declined the ride.

Beside her, Ms. Dent shrugged. "Okay," she says. "Oil crisis be damned."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan strolled through the courtyard, telling himself he was glad she was taking her own damned car to the surfing competition. He always intended to drive his own car, but when the opportunity arose, he wondered if she'd accept a ride from him.

He couldn't really blame her. Would he have wanted to ride with her if she offered?

Well, yes.

That was the frustrating part. For the better part of a year, he had focused his acid tongue and haughty glares with laser-like precision on the one and only Veronica Mars. She had deserved it, or so he had thought at first. He wasn't entirely sure that was true anymore. She deserved _some_thing for turning on him, and Duncan, and the Kanes, when they were all already in agony over Lilly's death. But maybe she didn't deserve quite so much of it.

What had he been waiting for? For her to stop acting like she deserved his anger? For her to fight to keep their friendship? She hadn't done that. She had simply accepted that it was all over, and the ease at which she gave up on them killed the last little piece of him that hadn't died with Lilly.

Logan guessed he had also been waiting for Duncan to step in and stop the madness, the way Duncan had always done with everything.

Duncan never stepped in. Not to do more than half-heartedly stop an attack in progress. He had never said, _Hey Logan, cut it out and leave her alone, for good now._ Logan assumed that was because whatever had made Duncan break up with Veronica had gotten him good and angry with her, and his half-hearted "leave her alone" comments were just the residual effects of having been the golden boy, Prince Kane.

The real trouble was, just when Logan had come to his own conclusion that it was time to ease off, give Veronica a chance to slide back into the group, punishment delivered and endured, she suddenly seemed to stop caring. Instead of running from his taunts in tears, hiding in the bathroom, letting her long hair fall in front of her face, she stood tall.

She showed up at school one day with her new short hair and a pair of combat boots that she must have gotten from an army/navy store. She still sat alone at lunch, but now she met his gaze and that of the other 09ers when they stared. She kept her shoulders back and her chin high and either listened to the jibes and insults with a bored look on her face, or she delivered a zinger back.

He couldn't help but smile a little at how tough she'd gotten. But then, it seemed to be too late. He had tried to talk to her once, that week, but she had just slammed her locker and walked away while he was in the middle of a sentence. Since then, every time he said anything to her, it started out normal and turned into an insult as soon as that bored mask fell across her features.

He slid into his seat at the 09er table and glanced at "her" table. She and that new kid who seemed to be around her lately were just arriving, and they were talking intensely and peering at a sheaf of papers. What was she up to?

Trapping her in a car with him for an afternoon might be the only way he'd ever really get to talk to her. Maybe he'd have to find a way to get her to ride with him after all.

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After school, Veronica drove to the office, anxious to talk to her Dad about the Nevarro case. The case itself was a little personal, but then, most were. It seemed that someone had taken out credit cards in Logan's mother's name and charged up a storm. Sheriff Lamb, in all his infinite idiocy, had arrested Letitia Nevarro, Weevil's grandmother, who – up until her arrest, anyhow – had been the Echolls' housekeeper for years. Veronica could begrudgingly admit that the circumstantial evidence was bad: Mrs. Nevarro was wearing a necklace that had been purchased with the cards, and the items ordered online were shipped to a post office box in her name.

Cliff, her Dad, and even Lamb thought Weevil was the real culprit, however. The fact that the charges on the card were by and large things a teenage member of a motorcycle gang might want made it even more likely, and Cliff had hired them to pin it on Weevil or at the very least find evidence to clear Mrs. Nevarro. Veronica had agreed to sniff around at school, though it made her a little uncomfortable. Her recent interactions with Weevil suggested he might not be the tried and true criminal her Dad thought he was.

Now, however, she had information which made it look like the real culprit wasn't Weevil after all. Thanks to Wallace's new job in the school office, he had managed to snag Weevil's course schedule. The charges to the credit card in the Echolls' name included a lot of online orders that were all placed during fourth period. Weevil, however, had been in auto-shop nearly every day that purchases were made. Since there wasn't a computer in auto-shop, she just couldn't see how he could have snuck out of there seven times to make purchases.

When she came through the door, she saw her Dad and Cliff talking. She told them what she found out, but they just looked at her. Finally, she said, "What?"

Cliff shrugged. "They released Lettie Nevarro a couple of hours ago. Weevil confessed to the crime."

Veronica stared at them both. That couldn't be right.

_Okay, Weevil. You're being noble, I get that. But what kind of a sort-of-friend or maybe just a not-enemy-who-trades-favors would I be if I didn't try to clear you by finding out who actually committed the fraud? It's not your grandmother, and it's not you. Who else could it be?_

As the thoughts churned in her head, she smiled. She did know someone who would take out a credit card in the Echolls' name and have no trouble watching someone else – especially if that someone else was Weevil – take the fall.

The next day in newspaper class, Veronica watched out of the corner of her eye as Logan slouched in a chair nearby, talking to Caitlin. He was speaking semi-loudly, like he wanted her to hear.

"No, seriously, how difficult is it to find good help these days?" Logan asked, rolling his eyes.

Caitlin simpered at him. Her haughty tone matched his. "What _are_ you going to do about your housekeeper situation?"

Logan smirked. "We had to let her go. If you can't trust your domestics, you don't feel safe in your own home."

Veronica frowned slightly. What he was saying sounded just like what an 09er would say, but his tone was a little over-the-top arrogant. Besides, from what she remembered, Logan really liked Lettie Nevarro. She was always making them food and giving them hugs when they were kids. Had he really changed so much that he had forgotten about that and now only saw her as a "domestic?"

Caitlin giggled. "I won't miss her. She was totally rude to me every time I was over there."

Veronica's smile came back. She could just picture Mrs. Nevarro's disdain of the plastic-y blonde. She turned to the two of them and dangled her theory like bait.

"Did you guys know that 90% of all identity theft is committed by relatives of the victim? That's an interesting fact. At least I think so."

"But you know what? No one cares what you think, Veronica Mars. Not any more. Not since you stabbed all your friends in the back," Caitlin sneered.

Veronica didn't back down. "You seem to care a bit what I think."

"Tell the truth, Veronica. Did you just sign up for newspaper so you could be around Duncan?" Logan's taunt was a familiar one, poking her about her lingering feelings for the ex who had dumped her with no explanation. She smiled at him.

"No. I'm here so I can be closer to you."

He made an "ooh" face at her, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. She waited for the next volley, but it didn't come, so she got back to business.

"In fact, they're thinking of putting me in your fourth period government class."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "We've got computer lab fourth period."

Veronica turned back to her computer, satisfied. "Oh, shoot. My loss."

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_Remember Murphy's law? Well, Veronica's law states that anything that the 09ers can do to make my life difficult, they will do._

After school, Veronica hurried through the halls and out the front door. She had a little time to spare before she had to be at Gold Coast, but not much. What she had learned from Logan's browser history was that (a) he really really liked Alyssa Milano, which was weird because she seemed to go against type for him, and (b) that there was no record that matched any of the online orders. However, he _had_ visited the Neptune Grand Hotel website, and there _was_ a charge from the Grand on the stolen card. It was worth looking into, at any rate.

She approached the LeBaron after school, noticed that it was listing to the side, and hurried around to spot the flat tire. This was the second this week, and it was only Tuesday. It looked flat, but not slashed, which was good – when all they did was let the air out she could swap it for her spare and then re-inflate it later. When they slashed it, it cost money. Money she didn't have.

Resignedly she opened her trunk, dropped her sweater and bag inside, and pulled out the jack and the tire iron. As she stooped next to the tire and wrestled with the lug nuts, she heard someone approach.

"Flat?"

Veronica looked up and squinted into the sun, surprised to see the cute boy from the office that morning. She smirked.

"Just as God made me."

The boy crouched down beside her, his forearms resting on his knees. He shot her a lopsided grin. He really was cute.

"Are you always this persnickety?"

"Sometimes I'm even persnicketier." She couldn't help but smile back at him. She gestured to the tire and shrugged. She explained her situation. He offered to help, and after hesitating, she handed him the tire iron.

He introduced himself as Troy Vandergraff, and when she told him her name, he feigned surprise.

"Really? Veronica. Okay, yeah, that makes more sense," he said.

"Makes more sense how?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just should never listen to those guys." Troy glanced over his shoulder at where Logan was standing near his XTerra, watching them. Logan munched on an apple and was surrounded by a bunch of 09er boys. Troy looked back at Veronica and shrugged. "I mean, really, who names their daughter Trampy McBitch?"

Veronica let out an involuntary laugh, and Troy smiled at her genuinely.

"Hm. A flat. Bummer."

Veronica looked up in surprise to see Logan standing over them, looking down at her tire with an exaggerated look of sympathy that matched the utter insincerity of his tone. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Looks like you need a ride," he said, meeting her glare with a smirk. "You know, if we don't go now, we're going to miss it."

Troy looked back and forth between the two, then smiled at Veronica. "You go. I'll finish up here, leave the tools in the trunk."

Veronica hesitated. She absolutely did not want to be stuck in a car with Logan. Absolutely did not. On the other hand, having time alone with Logan would give her the opportunity she needed to interrogate him about the credit card fraud.

Her decision made, Veronica stood and brushed her hands off on her jeans. "Thanks," she said to Troy, grabbing her sweater and bag from the trunk. He gave her a salute, and she hurried after Logan, who was striding towards his yellow SUV without a backwards glance. As she approached, the 09ers crowded around the car shot her looks of disdain, but she plowed through them, carefully ignoring the whispers and snickers.

As she pulled herself into the passenger seat, she caught a glimpse of Duncan. He was standing by her car, talking to Troy, and looked up. His expression was unreadable. She looked away.

"Buckle your seatbelt," said Logan, before planting his foot on the gas.

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The ride to Gold Coast was filled with the loudest silence Logan had ever heard. Only one other person he had ever met could be so expressive by saying nothing at all, and that was Lilly. Her silences could be sweet and romantic, or demanding, or punishing. He had gotten used to reading them as if she was actually speaking her thoughts. Veronica, however, could always give Lilly a run for her money in the saying something by saying nothing department, and she was speaking volumes now.

After fifteen minutes of nothing, Logan reached out and turned on the radio just to drown out the condemnation and hatred vibrating off of the petite blonde in the passenger seat. He immediately regretted his action, because he recognized the song currently playing as one of Lilly's favorites. From the uncomfortable shift in the seat beside him, he knew Veronica recognized it too.

"Lilly loved this song," he said softly, almost to himself.

Veronica glanced at him, her lips pressed together. He glanced back, and their eyes met for a second. Just for a second, he dropped his mask and let her see inside, and was rewarded by a softening of her features, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Yeah," she whispered. She stared out the window, looking off into the distance, no doubt lost in her own memory of her best friend. He let her have the moment, didn't press. Suddenly, he heard her gasp.

"What?" he asked, trying to find out what she was looking at.

"Slow down," she commanded, and he let his foot off of the gas.

The car slowed slightly as it passed by a group of boys in orange jumpsuits picking up litter by the side of the highway. He caught sight of one boy in particular, who was looking up at them.

Weevil.

Logan couldn't help the smirk that twisted one side of his mouth up at the sight of the gang leader in prison garb. It was about time someone locked him up, after all. Before the smirk disappeared, Veronica looked at him and let out a huff of breath.

"Well, that must make your day," she said, her tone dark. When he didn't reply, she continued. "Seeing your number one enemy in prison orange, I mean. How long did it take you to come up with this scheme to get him blamed for the credit card fraud? That fight on dog beach was just last week, so I guess I should be impressed."

"Hang on a second," he said. "You've got it all wrong."

"I do?"

"Yes." He grinned at her, then turned his attention back at the road. "You've been my number one enemy for the better part of a year now, Mars. That title was hard won, and you of all people know I'm not fickle with my contempt. It would take a lot more than a couple of punches to dislodge you from top billing."

He thought he heard a snicker, and decided to press his luck.

"Seriously, though. Seeing Weevil picking up trash does make my heart sing, but you're giving me credit where it's not due." He looked at her, his face serious, hoping she could see that he was being genuine.

She looked back at him with narrowed eyes. "You're telling me point blank that you did not set Weevil up?"

"Veronica, I did not set Weevil up. I also had nothing to do with this credit card thing."

"I don't believe you," she said.

"Big surprise. Okay, let me ask you a question. The fight with Weevil was a week ago. The charges on those cards go back a month. In order to have intended to set Weevil up, I would also have to be clairvoyant, and know ahead of time that our…feelings for each other…would escalate."

She was quiet beside him. Finally, she snorted. "You and your flunkies have never liked Weevil. This doesn't have to be triggered by last week's fight."

"Fair enough. Another question. If I was targeting Weevil, why would I take out a post office box in Mrs. Nevarro's name?"

"Because even Weevil isn't dumb enough to put his own name on it, so it would look like a set-up."

"But Mrs. Nevarro? Come on, Veronica. I know you haven't been around lately –"

"Since I was excommunicated, you mean?"

"—but you know that Mrs. Nevarro is like family. Why would I put her through getting arrested?"

Veronica didn't know exactly how much like family Mrs. Nevarro was, but Logan wasn't interested in getting into _that_ particular discussion. Not now, anyway. Beside him, Veronica laughed, a hard, bitter laugh.

"What?" he asked.

"I thought she was a 'domestic.' Isn't that what you said earlier today? Logan, if anyone knows how much you've changed, I do. Whatever I knew about you back then doesn't apply to today."

Logan cringed, remembering the conversation in newspaper class. He had just been trying to get Veronica's attention, but it was backfiring. She kept talking.

"Anyway, maybe your primary purpose wasn't to frame Weevil, it was just a side benefit. Maybe you stole the credit cards and bought stuff Weevil would like just in case you got caught, to throw suspicion off of you."

"One last question, then. Why would I need to steal money from my parents? They give me whatever I want."

Silence again. Logan could almost hear Veronica grinding her teeth in the seat next to him. Impatience and irritation flared up in his chest and he shook his head. She didn't believe him. She wasn't going to believe him. She really thought he was capable of…well, he probably was capable of this sort of thing. But he didn't do it, and if he had any chance of getting her to listen to any of the _other_ things he wanted to say, he had to convince her of that.

Which meant finding out who _did_ do it. Even if that meant clearing Weevil.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica snapped one last picture of the sun starting to set over the ocean, and lowered her camera. She looked around, and saw Logan shaking hands with Bodie and sticking a small notebook in his back pocket, which meant he was probably ready to leave.

When they had pulled into Gold Coast a few hours earlier, she had dared a glance at him and was surprised by the look on his face. His jaw was tense, his eyes were dark, and he was looking everywhere but at her. As soon as the car was in park, he jumped out, slamming the door and striding down to the beach without sparing her a backwards glance.

She guessed she deserved it, having accused him of credit card fraud and framing someone, but she couldn't drop her suspicion that he was guilty. He had to be, he made the most sense, especially since she was positive Weevil _hadn't_ done it. That didn't explain his anger, unless he was angry he was going to get caught because of her.

_Then again, when has Logan ever needed a reason to be angry with me? He creates reasons out of thin air, making up rumors about my non-existent sex life and then acting offended and angry as if the rumors are true and he's hurt by them. I will never understand him again, so I should stop trying. What's that saying about getting blood from a stone?_

Now, she took off across the sand. She wouldn't put it past him to leave without her out of spite. Maybe that had been his goal all along, let the air out of her tire so she had to ride with him, torment her in the car – although he really hadn't done that – and then leave her stranded twenty miles from home.

She reached the car and leaned against the passenger door, trying to appear casual. She watched him stroll through the sand, but he stopped just before reaching the parking lot. He turned and looked around, shading his eyes against the setting sun. Finally, he turned back to the car and, seeing her, smiled.

"Waiting for me, love?" he asked sarcastically, hitting the button to unlock the doors. Without replying, she opened the passenger door and hoisted herself into the seat. After a moment, he was sitting beside her. He made no move to start the car, and she looked at him with a question.

"Get everything you need?" he asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"Enough." He inserted the key into the ignition but didn't turn it on. "Why were you waiting up here? Did you think I was going to take off without you or something?"

She didn't understand the tone in his voice. It wasn't sarcastic, or mean. It almost sounded… offended. She shrugged.

"I wouldn't have cared if you did," she said.

"Oh, yeah? What would you have done?"

"I would have called…" _not Dad, he's chasing a bail jumper and won't be home until Thursday. Weevil, except he's in jail._ "Wallace," she finished. _Though the chances Wallace could get his Mom's car to come rescue her son's ne'er do well trampy friend are slim, Logan doesn't know that._

"Wallace?" Logan frowned. "Is that the new kid you've been hanging around with?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, though, he's nobody you need to know. He doesn't fall into your income bracket."

Logan laughed. "Fine. So, where to now?"

"Um…back to school so I can get my car?" Veronica wondered what Logan could possibly have meant by that question.

"You aren't hungry? I seem to remember that you're always hungry. We could stop at Luigi's."

Veronica stared at him, mouth agape, and when he turned to look at her he jumped slightly, as if surprised by her expression. Finally, she closed her mouth and glared at him.

"What are you planning, Echolls? You have a bunch of your lackeys lying in wait somewhere, ready to throw lasagna at me?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Wow, you really give me too much credit, Veronica. I just don't spend that much time plotting against you. Not like you do, that is. That bong trick, for example. That takes serious forethought, dedication. I admit I was surprised to still be so much in the center of your existence. Usually, you look right through me as if I don't exist."

Veronica tried not to gape at him again. "Oh, you exist," she said. "You're like a cockroach. No matter how many times I step on you or poison you, you just scurry into a dark corner and come back stronger."

He grinned at her, and she glared at him, which made him grin harder. Perplexed, she let out a huff and folded her arms over her chest, turning to face out the front window. She'd just wait him out. He'd have to drive back to Neptune eventually.

"What makes you so sure Weevil _didn't_ steal my parents' credit?" he asked after they sat in silence for a few minutes. "He confessed, I thought."

She sighed. "He's nowhere near a computer when most of the online purchases were made. It would have been impossible for him to do it. He confessed to get his grandmother out of prison. Not everyone who –"

She stopped, amazed at what she was about to say.

"Not everyone who what? Finish your thought."

Without thinking, she responded to the command. "Not everyone who confesses is actually guilty. Sometimes there's another reason they confess."

Beside her, Logan froze. Softly, he asked, "and what other reason did Abel Koontz have?"

Logan was smart, Veronica had to give him that. He knew exactly what she was thinking when she made the comment. He also had a point. What other reason did Koontz have?

"I don't know," she said. "But there is one."

She ignored the snort of disgust beside her. "You can never let anything go, can you?"

"Pot, meet kettle."

More silence. Finally, he turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. The sun had almost completely set at that point, and the parking lot had emptied out. Instead of pulling out of the parking space, Logan ran his hands through his hair.

"You're sure that Weevil had nothing to do with the credit card thing?"

"Positive."

"Okay then, let's prove it."

"What? Why?"

"Hey, I could care less if that pool boy rots in prison for a crime he didn't commit. By helping you, I'm proving my innocence, ergo I am helping myself. Having to deal with our esteemed Sheriff Loser if you accuse me for real is going to interrupt my busy schedule of hanging around and loafing."

Veronica stared at Logan.

"So, Nancy Drew, what's our next move?"

Before she could change her mind, she blurted out, "the Neptune Grand."

He looked at her, smirked, wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, honey, if you beg hard enough, that can be arranged. I didn't think you cared. Or has it just been so long – like 48 hours – since you've had a man between your legs you can't take it any longer?"

Veronica clenched her teeth together and forced her features to go blank. She tried to ignore the pang in her stomach. For a second – and just a second – she had started to believe that maybe their relationship was shifting, heading towards a truce, and for the first time in months she allowed herself a whisper of hope that there was something left of her old friend in there. It was a mistake.

"Take me home, Logan."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_Shit._

Logan punched the gear shift and hit the gas with a little more force than necessary, sending the XTerra rocketing out of the parking space. He hit the brake with just as much force. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Veronica clench her hand around the edges of her seat.

He had to go and screw things up, just when they were going so well. Okay, maybe not well but not terrible. She was going to let him in, let him work on this case with her. He would be able to find out what this new Veronica was about, what she was like. Maybe even…be friends with her again.

But no, he had to fall back on an old habit and insult her. What the hell was wrong with him, anyway?

After a few minutes, he sighed.

"Hey," he said, careful to keep his tone light, even though he felt like shouting. "I'm sorry I said that."

She didn't look at him, didn't answer.

"Veronica, I—"

"Shut. Up. Logan."

He decided to follow her instructions. To a point.

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled the car into the parking lot of the Neptune Grand. He saw her sit up straight, look around.

"What are we—"

"You wanted to come here, I brought you here."

"I thought I told you to take me home."

"I decided to ignore our conversation after the words 'Neptune Grand' left your mouth. The rest of it is better just forgotten."

She looked at him, and finally she pushed open her door and climbed out of the car. He hurriedly followed suit, and jogged to catch up with her as she strode toward the entrance to the hotel. She could move fast for someone with such short legs.

Just before they reached the revolving doors, he reached out and grabbed her arm. She jumped to the side, yanking her arm out of his grasp, looking like she had been burned. His stomach clenched, but swallowed the apology.

"What are we looking for here?" he asked. "What's the plan?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "One of the charges on the stolen account was a hefty fee for a night at this hotel. I'd like to see if the security tapes from that night show anyone familiar coming in who might be the guilty party."

"Smart," he said, chuckling when his comment caused her to glare again. "I'm serious, Mars. So what do you want me to do?"

She licked her lips. "Well…"

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Veronica marched up to the reception desk, Logan trailing several yards behind, and placed both her hands flat on the marble surface, a frown on her face.

"Can I help you?" asked the brunette behind the counter.

"I certainly hope so," said Veronica sharply. "Some genius here let someone who isn't me use my credit card and charge twelve hundred dollars for one measly night."

"I'm sorry, miss," began the clerk, a worried look crossing her face.

"Don't be sorry, fix it. I'd like to know who is stealing from me, so scurry yourself into the back office and dig up the surveillance video so I can see who came in that night." Veronica snapped out the date several weeks ago. The clerk hesitated. "Well? What are you waiting—"

Logan caught up with Veronica. He put his hands on her shoulders, and she stiffened, then tried to dislodge them. He only clamped down harder.

"Okay, calm down. No need to be nasty to the nice woman." He aimed a charming smile at the clerk. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding embarrassed. "My sister is just upset, she knows that none of this is your fault." He massaged Veronica's shoulders slightly, and she froze under his touch.

"Look," Veronica started, but he rolled his eyes at the clerk and talked over her.

"We think our cousin might have taken the card for a joyride. Do you think we could look at the surveillance tape for that night, see if she shows up?" He grinned at the clerk, and she visibly relaxed, grinning back. Veronica gritted her teeth.

_Right, because Logan Echolls can charm the banana peel off of the banana with nothing more than a wink. I knew this already, why am I surprised he's gotten even better at it?_

"Let me go ask my manager," said the clerk, backing away and hurrying behind a door.

Veronica ducked out from Logan's hands and spun around to face him. He raised his eyebrows at her, spread his hands as if to ask how he had done. After a moment, she was grinning at him and shaking her head.

"Nice job, Echolls. Perfect entrance."

"You had it going on too, Mars. I almost believed you were royally pissed and going to jump the counter any second. You can certainly put on 09er airs when it's called for."

"Yeah? I wasn't too over the top?"

He held up his hand, thumb and forefinger close together, smirked. "Maybe just a little."

"It's harder to play bad cop," she said, her hands on her hips, feigning indignation. She could feel the corners of her mouth fighting to turn up. "We can't all be children of successful actors, you know. It's in _your_ blood, not mine."

She watched as the delighted grin on his face faded instantly.

"Logan? What—"

Before Veronica could finish the question, the clerk came back.

"I'm sorry," she said, a little breathlessly, glancing at Veronica warily and then turning back to Logan. "We only keep surveillance for two weeks. But I got your detailed bill summary. Maybe that will help?" She held out a piece of paper hopefully.

Veronica reached out a hand and snatched it. "Thanks," she said, and then turned and walked out of the lobby.

Logan caught up with her just outside the front doors. "So? Does it help?" he asked, trying to see over her shoulder.

She held the paper to her chest and turned around. "Yeah, I think it does," she said. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Guess who signed the room service bill? Any guesses? No? Well, no need to keep you in suspense: it was your one and only darling of the week, Caitlin Ford."

His mouth dropped open. He stared at her a moment, and then off somewhere over her left shoulder. Finally, he reached out a hand. "Let me see," he said.

Watching him carefully, she held the paper out, pointing to the reproduction of the signature. He looked at it, and then whirled around and slammed his fist into the concrete wall of the hotel.

"Logan!" She jumped forward and grabbed at his hand, which he was now cradling against his stomach, doubled over in pain. "Give me your hand." He let her pull his hand toward her. His knuckles were red and scraped, but his hand didn't look broken.

He snatched it back. "It's fine," he snapped. He took off towards the SUV, and she ran after him. Instead of getting in the car, however, he leaned against the trunk and buried his head in his hands. She approached slowly, but didn't get too close. After a minute, he looked up at her, his eyes snapping with anger and disgust.

"So?" he said, the sarcasm making the word bigger, brighter between them. "I guess you have the proof you need that I did it, right? My own girlfriend signed the room service receipt. Case closed."

She held his challenging gaze. After a minute, she sighed. "I don't think you did it."

She saw surprise cross his features, and then his mask hardened again. "Why not? You didn't believe me before when I told you I didn't do it."

"I believe you now."

He laughed, bitterly.

"Logan, the look on your face…okay, you can lie with the best of them, when you're prepared, but when you're not, your emotions are all over you. You didn't fake that. You forget, I could once read you better than anyone else in the world. Better than your parents, better than Duncan, better than…" she trailed off, not wanting to bring Lilly into this discussion when they were being too honest with each other for comfort.

He was silent for a minute, and then his shoulders slumped.

"So you believe me now, but what good does that do? If Caitlin was here with someone the night the card was used, and I wasn't the one using the card, that means Caitlin is cheating on me. Great, because that's so much better than you thinking I'm guilty of something, again."

Veronica didn't know what to say, so she just stood there. Time was, she would have put her arms around him, but she didn't feel comfortable doing that now. To be honest, she didn't feel comfortable feeling like she wanted to comfort him at all.

Time ticked by, and finally, Logan stood up.

"Come on," he said. "I'll take you to your car."

She got into the passenger seat, and as he started the car and turned onto the road in the direction of the school, she watched him carefully.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing, for now. It doesn't matter that much. Caitlin is a piece of ass, and I was going to toss her aside soon anyhow. I just don't like to be fooled. When I find out who the bastard is who's sneaking around with my girlfriend, I'll kill him. And then I'll kill her. But I can't catch them if I break up with her or let on that I know she's cheating on me. And I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself in the meantime."

Veronica shivered when he said the word _kill_, and when he repeated it. He sounded sincere.

"You're going to pretend everything is fine?"

He snorted. "I have some experience with that. Don't you?" He sneered at her.

She clenched her teeth together. Yes, that she did.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

At lunch the next day, Logan watched. He watched Veronica flirt with Troy. That Wallace kid seemed to be acting as a wing man – for which of the two, he didn't know, but after a minute Veronica was laughing. Real laughter, and Logan had to take a few deep breaths at the surge of emotion he felt seeing her genuinely happy and then the equally forceful surge of disappointment that it was _Troy_ – a kid he didn't really like, but couldn't decide why – who gave her that happiness.

Then he watched Troy leave the table and cross the quad to take a seat near Caitlin and some of the other 09er girls. His eyes narrowed as he watched the two of them flirt as well. What was it with this Troy character? Veronica wasn't enough for him? Was _Troy_ the one Caitlin was cheating with? He didn't forget that Caitlin knew Troy before he started at Neptune, and had hung out with him at the Marina all summer.

"Hey, DK," he said. Duncan looked up. "How long have you known this kid Troy?"

"I don't know, a few years," said Duncan with a shrug. "His family has the slip next to ours. They usually come August, stay the month. They move around a lot. I'm going to go get a burrito, you want something?" Duncan stood up.

Logan shook his head, and Duncan dropped a little pink purse in Logan's lap. "Then you get to guard your girlfriend's purse." He walked away.

Logan glanced back at Veronica, and their eyes met. He looked away immediately, and when he dared a glance back, he saw that she had gotten up from the table and was striding into the school, cell phone in hand.

Looking down at Caitlin's purse, Logan noted that _her_ cell phone was sticking out of a pocket. He glanced at where she was still engrossed in conversation with Troy, and picked up the phone. He scrolled through the call log, noticed a number that she had called repeatedly very late at night. He pressed the redial button.

Five minutes later, Logan stalked through the halls, flanked on either side by Dick and Enbom, trailing Chardo Nevarro. Weevil's stupider and uglier – if that were possible – cousin was the one to answer Logan's call from Caitlin's phone, and the one-sided conversation made it clear that Chardo was the one Caitlin was fooling around with. It all fit, after that…the post office box, the motorcycle gang items purchased, the necklace for Mrs. Nevarro.

As he was about to make his move forward to tackle Chardo and punch him until his bones resembled sawdust, a small object hit him from the right side and sent him flying through the door to the girl's bathroom. He heard Dick and Enbom's exclamations of surprise as he hit the wall of the stall. He regained his balance and whirled around, fists clenched, and stopped in surprise.

"What the hell?" he snarled. Veronica was stuffing a doorstop under the door and yelling at Dick and Enbom to get lost. The door rattled but didn't budge. Confident they were locked in, she turned on him, her expression stern.

"Do not, I repeat, do _not_ be such an idiot, Logan. It doesn't suit you," she snapped.

"And _I_ repeat, _what the hell_?"

"You can't beat up Chardo in school, you'll get suspended, and then you'll get in trouble with your parents, and you'll never have any proof, and Chardo will get away with it. Or everyone in school will know what happened and you'll look like a fool who can't keep his girlfriend satisfied."

They both winced at her last few words. He was sure she knew that Lilly had cheated on him, too. The thought just made the rage inside him bubble ever higher.

"You can't keep me from beating the shit out of him," he growled.

"I know. And I don't much care if you do. Can you just _wait_, though? I'm going to go talk to Mrs. Nevarro after school. She has to know it's Chardo, he gave her the necklace. I don't understand why she would let Weevil take the fall."

He paused. "Then what?"

"Well, I'll try to convince her to tell Lamb what she knows. Then Chardo can get what he deserves. If you need to use him as a punching bag to get your justice before he gets arrested, have at it. But just give me a chance to do something before he turns tail and disappears."

"You're going to see Mrs. Nevarro today?" he asked, lowering his fists to his sides and standing up straight.

"Yes. After school."

"I'll go with you."

She laughed. "No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

"Logan –"

"I'm not arguing with you about this. I know where she lives. I'll just go now, by myself, unless you agree."

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica walked up the front steps of the Nevarro house, Logan close behind her. She shook her head. She knew he wanted justice, but she didn't understand why he had insisted on coming with her. She dared a glance at him, and his jaw was set, his mouth in a thin line. Shaking her head, she rang the doorbell.

"Can you do me a favor and refrain from yelling at your 'domestic'?" She asked, seeing him flinch. "Let me do the talking."

After a moment, the door opened. Lettie Nevarro peered suspiciously at Veronica, but when she saw Logan, her face broke into a big smile. She opened the door wide.

"Mi hijo," she cried, stepping through the door and enveloping Logan in a warm hug. Veronica stepped back, her mouth dropping. And had Mrs. Nevarro called Logan her son?

"Hi, Lettie," he said, grinning. "You remember Veronica?"

"Of course I do, you look so grown up now!" She hugged Veronica too, then stepped back and gestured into the house. "Come in, come in. Would you like some tea?"

Veronica glanced at Logan. He nodded, so she said, "That would be great."

Fifteen minutes later, the trio sat at the kitchen table, steaming cups of tea in front of them. Logan was chattering with Mrs. Nevarro about school and surfing, as if Veronica wasn't even there.

"And your parents?" Mrs. Nevarro raised an eyebrow. "Are things going smoothly?"

Logan shrugged. "No different than usual." He glanced at Veronica, and then back at Mrs. Nevarro. Veronica thought she saw Logan shake his head slightly.

Finally, Veronica jumped in. "Mrs. Nevarro, we actually came here to talk about Weevil…and Chardo."

Immediately, the woman's broad smile disappeared. "That nasty business with the credit cards?" she asked. "I was so sorry when I found out that Weevil had done this to your family, Logan. I am very sorry."

He reached out, put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault," he said.

"Except that Weevil didn't do it. Chardo did. And you know it. What I can't figure out is why you're letting Weevil take the fall." Veronica interrupted again, wanting to cut to the chase already.

Mrs. Nevarro shot her a sharp glance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I think you do. Chardo gave you that necklace. You must at least suspect…"

"Eli is seventeen," Mrs. Nevarro snapped. "Chardo is eighteen, with a record. Eli can do a couple of months in juvie, but Chardo would get real jail time."

Veronica leaned back in shock. She opened her mouth to argue, but suddenly Logan's hand was on hers. He squeezed tightly. She froze and shot a look at him.

"Lettie," he said, "that's fine in theory, except that I think Lamb is going to pin it on me instead of Weevil."

Mrs. Nevarro gaped at him. "But why?"

"There's proof Weevil couldn't have made the online purchases, so they're going to look elsewhere. And it turns out that whoever did do it—"

"Chardo," Veronica reminded them, earning a look from Logan.

"It turns out whoever did do it spent the night at the Neptune Grand with my girlfriend, Caitlin Ford. So even though I didn't do it, it looks an awful lot like I did."

Mrs. Nevarro gaped wider, and then her face crumpled in disgust. "Not _her_," she said. "She doesn't like her ice cubes made with tap water, the little princess." She shook her head at Logan. "You, mi hijo, can do much better."

He smiled. "Yeah, you're right. But what's worse than Caitlin cheating on me with Chardo is that…once Lamb charges me, my dad will find out, and you know he won't believe that I didn't do it."

Mrs. Nevarro leaned forward, put a hand on Logan's cheek. After a moment, she seemed to make a decision. She nodded. "Well, we can't have that. Who's going to drive me to the Sheriff's station?"

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

"So are you going to explain to me why Mrs. Nevarro changed her mind?"

Logan glanced to his right. Veronica was seated in the passenger seat of his SUV, her eyes locked on him, searching for truth. He shook his head.

"Nope."

He saw Veronica narrow her eyes and nearly laughed. The girl hated not knowing something. If there was a secret, a mystery, she just had to get to the bottom of it, no matter who she hurt on the way. And he had no doubt this would hurt, a lot, if she succeeded. Best not to say anything at all.

He pulled into the Neptune High parking lot and came to a stop near her car. They had driven Mrs. Nevarro to the station, where Lamb took her statement, as well as Logan's and Veronica's, and accepted the Neptune Grand bill summary and Weevil's course schedule as evidence. To Lamb's credit, he seemed to believe them, and promised to issue a warrant for Chardo and have Weevil released. They had driven Mrs. Nevarro home after that. She had given them both a tight hug, then went inside to start preparing Weevil's favorite dinner for when the Sheriff's Department delivered him home.

"Logan…"

"Mars. Let it go." She opened her mouth. "Please," he said.

She stared at him. "Fine," she said, after a moment.

"Really?"

"For now."

He rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. He was hoping she'd forget about it. He knew that when Lettie Nevarro thought he'd be in danger of a particularly severe beating from his father, she'd stop protecting Chardo. Or, at least, he had been banking on it. She had seen firsthand what Aaron Echolls could do to his son over small or imagined infractions. Something like this, and without her there to provide damage control after the fact…he knew she couldn't let that happen.

Now, however, he intended to round up his friends and find the biker before the gang could protect him or before he skipped town. He had an idea of how to do it, too. He would go to Caitlin, make her call Chardo, and when the asshole showed up, game on.

"Hey," he said suddenly, narrowing his eyes at Veronica, who had made no move to get out of the car. "How did you find out it was Chardo?"

She shrugged. "There was a list of numbers on the hotel bill. I had my Dad run them. When I heard Chardo's name, it clicked into place. How did you know?"

"I swiped Caitlin's phone and called a number that showed up in the call log repeatedly at weird hours. Chardo picked up. It…clicked into place."

She grinned at his repetition of her phrase. "Not bad, Echolls. Not bad at all. There might be a future for you in the biz yet."

Her cell phone buzzed, and she pulled it out and looked at the display, then pushed open the car door and hopped out. "Oh," she said, over her shoulder. "Don't go looking for Chardo. Weevil's on it already."

"How do you know that?" Logan asked. "And what do you mean, 'on it'?"

She waved her phone in the air. "He sent me a message. The PCHers caught up with him standing under Caitlin's window, shouting something about getting her things. Weevil said when they're done with him they'll dump him at Lamb's doorstep. He's out of the gang."

She went to close the door, caught his expression. "Seriously, Logan. You don't want to get in the middle of that. Let Weevil clean up his own backyard. Keep your nose clean. Avoid your dad's wrath."

He blinked at her. She tilted her head to one side, watching him carefully. "Thanks for the help," she said.

He snapped out of his stunned silence. "Whatever, Mars. I did it to clear my own name, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "I know. Doesn't mean you didn't help. Is our truce over then? Back to normal tomorrow? Should I bring extra cleaning supplies to wipe the unsavory graffiti off of my locker?"

He smirked at her. "How about this? I won't throw the first punch if you don't. You plant another bong in my locker, then all bets are off."

Something that he couldn't read flashed across her face. Hurt? Disappointment? Resignation? After a moment, she nodded. Then she slammed the door, got into the LeBaron, and sped away.

A truce, he thought. That could work. For now.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N3: So this is my first fanfic ever. I've never felt the urge to create them before discovering VM. I loved the buildup to LoVe in Season One, and wish there was more of it. This might be a long one, or it might last as long as I have interest in it and there is interest from readers. I don't have a clear path or end point in mind, though it's likely not every chapter will follow the show so closely. It'll veer off more drastically as time goes on, I just decided to change one little thing early go with it. Let's just see what happens and make the journey together, shall we? I can't promise a particular frequency of posting, or the regularity of length. I will try to stay a few chapters ahead so if life gets in the way (like it does), I won't make you wait too long.

I've read some excellent Season One AUs on here, and if anything is unintentionally similar to someone else's, PM me and we can talk. Keep in mind, of course, that since none of us own these characters and this is all for fun, it doesn't really matter. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2: Meet Me Halfway

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: Yowza, thanks for the reviews! The praise makes my heart go pitty-pat, and the critiques and questions make me think harder about the structure and the characters rather than just running with what's the most fun to write (though, I figure, if it's fun for me to write, it's more likely it's fun for you to read).

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan is assigned to write the Gold Coast surfing competition article, and arranges it so Veronica, who is taking the photos, has to ride with him. The ride leads him to work with her to solve the case of his parents' stolen credit. Veronica wonders what he's hiding. Logan suggests a truce, and Veronica uneasily agrees.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Chapter Two: Meet Me Halfway

Logan strode through the halls of Neptune High. He grinned at a couple of decent-looking sophomore girls, and the grin settled into a smirk as their eyes widened and they turned to each other, giggling. He hadn't yet replaced Caitlin, and was reviewing his options. Sophomores were okay, as long as they were wealthy in their own right.

He really couldn't stand being used for his money. Being used for his status, on the other hand, didn't bother him. That is, as long as it was his status, and not his dad's status.

He spotted Duncan up ahead. "Hey, DK," he called out. Duncan slowed down, glancing over his shoulder and waiting for Logan to catch up.

"So, did you hook up with Shelley last night?"

Duncan made a face. "Uh, she's a talker. Turns out she has conflicted feelings towards her new stepmom and the color scheme the woman's chosen for the family rec room—"

Logan laughed, cutting Duncan off. "I hate it when they talk, man," he said. It was a lie, and Duncan knew it, but they had their roles to play.

Duncan made some sort of comment in agreement, but Logan's attention had drifted across the crowded hallway. Veronica stood in front of her locker, books in her arms, smiling and laughing, her head leaning in towards Troy, who was saying something that apparently required ridiculous hand gestures and head swaggers. The kid looked like an idiot. Could Veronica really not see through this joker?

"Hey, man," he said, nudging Duncan. "Have you noticed that the new kid in town has been all over your trailer-park ex?"

He was annoyed and wanted Duncan to be annoyed too, because he was only annoyed on Duncan's behalf in the first place. Otherwise, he could care less about who Veronica spread her legs for. He winced at the last thought, knowing that there wasn't an ounce of truth in the reputation he had foisted on her. The girl was a virgin if ever there was one.

To Logan's surprise, Duncan didn't seem bothered. He smiled, and shook his head. "Let it go, Logan," he said.

"Okay, nowhere man, you be the fool on the hill. See if I care." After a moment, he squinted at his friend. He noticed the sheen of sweat on Duncan's pale face. "Dude, you don't look so hot."

Suddenly, Duncan shoved his bag at Logan and ran for the boy's room. Logan watched him go, and then smirked. DK was hung over, it appeared. After a few minutes, Duncan emerged from the bathroom. The wetness on his face now appeared to be just water, and he was smiling a strangely contented smile. Logan handed over his friend's bag.

"You okay?"

"Never better," said Duncan.

Logan looked closer. He spotted a spark in Duncan's eye that he hadn't seen in over a year, not since before the boy dumped Veronica. Was Duncan finally emerging from the stupor he had been in since then? Would Logan finally get his best friend back, for real, instead of just the shell of him?

They started down the hallway towards class and stopped short to avoid running over Veronica herself, who was shepherding some freshman boy into the girl's room. He grinned involuntarily, remember that she had done that to him just a week before. For a little thing, she was surprisingly strong.

"That girl…" he started to say, his tone admiring. He noticed Duncan watching him, and changed course. "…is seriously whack," he finished.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_This is nice. This is really nice. Right? I'm having a good time. So why do I feel like a fraud?_

Veronica laughed, again. She smiled at Troy, who was sitting across the table from her. She was glad she had decided to take the plunge with him, jump back into the clichéd dating pool, whatever. He was nice. He had fixed her tire. He had tried to get her to come to a party, and then hadn't been discouraged when she didn't show up. He was friendly with Wallace, who was quickly becoming a real friend…the first she had had in a year. He was funny, and sarcastic, and seemed to get her sense of humor. He was patient, which was important these days.

Her decision to ask him out was an impulse, but a good one. She had seen Logan and Duncan walking down the hall, and for a second, she had let herself remember the days when she would have been walking with them. She imagined herself there again, between them, feeling protected and cared for and supported. Friends again. Then Troy had bumped into her, and she looked up, and suddenly she was asking him out.

She wasn't a fool. She knew she only did it to distract herself from her reverie. But what a distraction.

The night had gone well so far. Troy had agreed to meet her at the restaurant without even joking about her needing her car as an exit strategy – which is what it was. The food was good, and he made her laugh, harder and more genuinely than she had in a long time. Now, he was telling her a story about how he and Duncan had tried to play a prank one summer that had backfired, leading to a lifeguard pointing a rifle at Troy, who was pretending to be a shark.

"He saved my life," Troy said in a mocking-yet-serious tone.

"That's one way of looking at it," she replied, grinning.

There was a lull in the conversation. Troy glanced at the personal jukebox next to their table, then at her.

"I'm kinda sick of this song," he said. Then he rapped his fist on top of the machine.

Veronica stared at him.

"Had that worked, I would have expected sex."

She let out a surprised laugh. "Had that worked, you would have gotten it. Try it again," she teased.

His eyebrows shot up. "Check please," he called out, teasing back.

A little while later, contentedly full of lasagna and spumoni, Veronica strolled down the boardwalk towards their cars, Troy at her side. He asked for her phone, and she handed it over, giving him a quizzical look. He punched in some numbers, then handed it back.

"There," he said. "Your phone is now booty-call enabled."

"In case I need a little late night action?" She kept her tone light, but her stomach was doing backflips. She wasn't sure whether Troy had listened to the rumors or not. Did he think she was as easy as everyone said? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that the nerves she felt were also because she wasn't sure she was ready to be…physical with a guy. Not yet.

"Action, investment advice, whatever. Seriously, call anytime."

At Troy's sincere tone, Veronica relaxed. They had reached her car, and she leaned back against the driver's side door. She looked up at Troy. He looked down at her. She started rambling.

"I should get home. I'd invite you over but it's a school night and my dad owns a handgun. He says he can look into a guy's eyes and know his true intentions and I know that sounds like a myth but—"

Troy leaned in, intent on her lips, and Veronica jerked backward. They stared at each other warily a moment, and then Troy straightened up and took a step back.

"Okay then," he said. He shook her hand formally, then executed a dramatic bow. "And a good night to you, madam."

He reached over and opened her car door. She slid into the driver's seat and he shut the door for her. He gave a little wave, then shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled through the parking lot to his own car, his shoulders hunched.

Veronica watched him go, emotions warring for dominance inside her. She wanted to be normal, didn't she? She wanted to be a normal girl with a normal boyfriend who would give her a normal kiss goodnight which she would enjoy with the normal amount of longing for and fear of more.

After what had happened at Shelley Pomroy's party, she had told herself it was perfectly understandable for her to be skittish about being touched, and that she would get over it in time. That's what all the websites said, anyhow. She just needed time. .

But when Troy leaned towards her, his eyes half closed, it wasn't the memory of waking up and realizing she had been raped that made her jump back, it was the image of Duncan's face that flashed before her, the images of them together she had been seeing in her dreams at night. That, and the image of Logan right after, anger and disappointment in his eyes. Yes, she had jumped back because Troy wasn't (a) the golden boy who had broken her heart and stomped it into pieces, or (b) the jackass who had made her life hell for the past year.

What was wrong with her?

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan pretended to listen to Enbom's story about surfing with Dick. He picked at his Chinese food, grunted every so often to demonstrate he was paying attention, and laughed when it sounded like that was the appropriate response.

In reality, he was surreptitiously staring over Enbom's shoulder at the little blonde who had just marched across the courtyard and seemed to be yelling at a skinny little freshman. The poor kid was getting smaller and smaller in his seat as Veronica shook her finger at him, her face stern and her eyes flashing with anger.

Logan wondered what the kid had done to draw her wrath. Not that it wasn't fun to watch, but it would be more fun if he could hear what she was saying. She had almost as much of a way with words as he did, and that was saying something.

For the past week, since their truce had begun, he hadn't had much opportunity to interact with her. Before, it was easy; all he had to do was lob an insult her way, or instigate some kind of prank and stand back and wait for her to react. Now, since he was behaving himself, there was no reason for her to pay attention to him at all.

He decided not to dwell on why that bothered him.

After a minute, it looked like Veronica was going to stomp away, but one of the secretaries approached the pair. She handed a piece of paper to the freshman, who looked at it. He said something to Veronica, and she leaned in, looking shocked. The kid said something else, and Veronica hesitated, then shook her head. She folded her arms across her chest and marched across the courtyard again, this time to her table, where that kid Wallace was waiting.

She sat down, and they put their heads close together, talking intensely. In a minute, she was smiling and digging her elbow into Wallace's side.

Logan wondered what their deal was. Were they just friends? Did she like him, too, in addition to pretty boy Troy? Speaking of which…Logan scanned the area, but didn't see Troy anywhere. Troy had bragged to Duncan yesterday that he was taking Veronica out last night. To Logan's dismay, Duncan seemed to take it in stride. He even suggested Veronica's favorite restaurant. Logan couldn't understand that.

He wondered how the date had gone. Since he didn't see Troy hanging around, maybe it hadn't gone well. But then, wouldn't Veronica be in a worse mood than she seemed? He looked back at her and his eyes met Wallace's. Logan looked away, but after a minute, he snuck another look. The pair were still talking, and Veronica was smiling and shaking her head.

"Dude, you're not even listening." Logan forced his attention back to his friends and away from Veronica.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Meanwhile, Veronica was puzzling over who could possibly have sent Justin Smith the scholarship letter, if his father was really dead.

_Okay, Justin. Either there's some other John Smith out there who is a nice enough person to hire an investigator to find you, which is creepy, or your father's alive, which means your mother lied when she told you he died, which is creepy. Also, how does a six year old not realize that there's no funeral or grave to visit? Not that Justin seemed that brilliant to begin with, but—_

"Hey, Broody McThinker. Don't look now, but Echolls is staring at you."

Veronica's shoulders tensed, but she followed Wallace's instructions and didn't look. She forced herself to relax, and then shrugged.

"Wallace, if I have had a piece of cheese stuck to the side of my face for the last half hour and you didn't tell me…" she joked, trying to pretend she wasn't curious about Logan's purpose.

Wallace shook his head. "He looks kind of…intense. Did you have a fight or something?"

Veronica laughed. "Now, I know you haven't known me for long, but have we not had the conversation about how much love is not lost between me and the 09ers, their King in particular? Were you not standing there when he gleefully bashed in my headlights with a crowbar, and quoted a Beach Boys song in a sadistic tone? Did you not notice that he then chose to take punches from the leader of a biker gang rather than give me the satisfaction of an apology?"

Wallace grinned at her. "I know, but…you guys seemed to be in a kind of white flag zone for the past few days. I haven't heard him say anything to you, let alone something nasty. So I thought maybe something happened to make him mad at you for some specific reason instead of, you know…"

"Instead of his baseline general hatred of my existence?"

"Yeah, that." Wallace laughed.

"I don't know. I can't pretend to understand the inner workings of the mind of a psychopath." She narrowed her eyes, willing herself not to look up. "Is he still staring?"

Wallace glanced back over at the 09er table. "Yeah, but he's pretending not to."

Veronica stood up. "Come on, then. Let's not distract him from his lunch any longer." She pulled Wallace to his feet and dragged him back into the school, ignoring the prickly feeling running up and down her spine.

_So, I guess our "truce" doesn't include a no tormenting rule, just a no pranks and insults rule. Good to know._

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan grabbed Duncan in the hall after school.

"DK, cheerleader practice. I brought refreshments." He pulled the tip of a flask out of his pocket and then slid it back in. Duncan grinned, and Logan thought once again how cool it was that Duncan was finally back from the dead.

They rounded up a few more of the guys and climbed the bleachers to watch the cheerleaders bounce around on the field below. Maybe one of them would be a good choice for Logan Echolls' next girl of the moment. He looked them over carefully.

When he glanced back, Duncan was staring off into space, not really looking at anyone. That wasn't a good sign. He couldn't let Duncan slip back into zombie state. He thought for a moment about what would spark a reaction from his friend.

"Hey, Duncan," he said after a minute. "I thought your boy toy Troy was gonna join us this afternoon. You don't suppose he got…waylaid by Veronica, do you?"

Duncan shot up from the bleacher and grabbed Logan's flask. Logan whirled around, and they squared off against each other. For a moment, Logan thought DK was going to slug him. That would be a reaction, all right, though he preferred not to have to take the punch. But Duncan relaxed and smiled.

"Grasshopper too slow for Kung-Fu master," he said with a grin, striking a pose. Logan grinned back and grabbed for the flask, and they wrestled good-naturedly.

They stopped and looked up when they heard a shout, and saw Dick and Lewis standing at the edge of the bleachers. Suddenly, Lewis did back flip over the railing. Logan shot a look at Duncan and all the guys ran for the edge.

Lewis was on his back on top of a pile of fertilizer, laughing.

Logan looked up from where Lewis was lying, and noticed two people approaching along the side of the athletics wing. Veronica was jogging to catch up with Troy. He looked slightly annoyed until Veronica flung her arms around his neck and planted her lips on his. He staggered back, but then he wrapped his arms around her and took control of the kiss. Logan ground his teeth together at the sight of the pair.

With a yell, Duncan flew by Logan and launched himself over the edge of the bleachers, just like Lewis had done. Logan's mouth dropped open and he leaned over in time to see Duncan bounce off the fertilizer and land on his back on the concrete. Logan's stomach flipped, and he grabbed at the cold metal of the railing.

"Duncan!" he shouted.

Down below, Veronica broke away from Troy and ran for Duncan's prone form. Logan watched as she crouched down beside her ex, who opened his eyes, grinning up at her. Relief coursed through Logan's veins.

He shouted down the first thing that popped into his head, some joke about a triple klutz. Then, without any real reason, he upended his flask. Veronica looked up at him in disgust as the drops of whiskey rained down on her.

Before he could react further, she was helping Duncan to his feet, checking his head, and saying something about the hospital. She shepherded him into the athletic building, with Troy following close behind.

Well, DK, he thought wryly. That's one way to break up a tryst.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica opened the door to the Mars' apartment and greeted Backup, letting him jump all over her. She looked through the mail, then collected the dog's leash and tennis ball and headed out to the beach for their afternoon playtime.

As she threw the tennis ball over and over for her beloved pooch, she considered the afternoon. Troy had wanted to come with them to the hospital, but she had pushed him away. Duncan was bleeding all over the place, but seemed…happier…than he had been anytime she saw him in the past year. And he had talked to her. Had asked her if she remembered how things "used to be." She had shut him down, unwilling to dwell on contrast between the sweet memories and the painful present.

At the hospital, however, he had surprised her again. The doctor had mistaken her for Duncan's girlfriend, and when she tried to correct him, Duncan had interrupted, letting the fiction out there to hover over them, tantalizing, comforting. She wasn't sure what to think about that.

If Duncan did want to get back together with her, would she want to? Maybe, she decided. She had been so happy with him.

Yet, her happiness had not totally been due to Duncan. It had really been about the foursome they were a part of. Logan and Lilly were the glue, the center. She and Duncan, as the best friends, were…logical. Easy. Nice. They rounded things out. Four was a good number. That way the Kane siblings could stay close, she and Lilly could spend all their time together, Duncan and Logan didn't have to choose girlfriends over best friends.

She did love Duncan. Did, past tense. She wasn't sure if she still did, or if she wanted to.

She was seeing Troy now. Did he make her jittery with anticipation the way Duncan had once? A little bit, not a lot. But then, Duncan hadn't always, either. It had taken her time to get used to the idea of dating him, touching him, kissing him. Maybe she just needed time to warm up to a guy.

In any event, before she would even think about reuniting with Duncan, she would want some answers about what had happened to make him dump her and never explain himself.

The ringing of her cell phone tore her out of her thoughts. She pulled it out of her pocket and frowned at the display. What did _he_ want?

"What do _you_ want?" she snapped into the phone.

"Hello to you too, sunshine," drawled Logan.

"I repeat, what do you want?"

"Relax, lower your weapons. I come in peace. I just wondered what happened with Duncan this afternoon. He's not answering his phone."

She considered hanging up, but relented, knowing Logan was probably worried.

"He's fine," she said. "I left him at the emergency room –"

"You just left him? Way to go, Mars, your compassion is astounding."

She bristled. "Shove it, Echolls. If I remember correctly, you couldn't even be bothered to take him to the hospital, resorting instead to making jokes and anointing us both with Jack Daniels."

"You seemed to have the matter in hand," he muttered.

She sighed. "His dad showed up."

"What?"

"At the hospital. He was fine. Sitting up, talking, laughing. The doctor x-rayed his skull, said he didn't have a fracture, and then Mr. Kane arrived. I left."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Finally, she heard a sigh, and then, "Sorry."

"Whatever. Is there any other information I can help you out with, or are we done here?" she asked.

"Sure, while I've got you," Logan said, back to his normal tone. "Is it Troy's bank account that gets your panties gooey or is he really that much better in bed than –"

She snapped her phone closed and shoved it into her pocket.

_Some truce. Maybe it only applies in public._

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Logan once again strode through the halls of Neptune High. He ignored the sophomore girls gazing at him hopefully when he spotted Duncan up ahead. He could see the bandage on the back of Duncan's head. "Hey, DK," he called out, hurrying to catch up with his friend.

Duncan glanced at him, nodded slightly. Logan froze, alarmed at the glazed look in his friend's eyes. He would have been worried it was an effect of his fall, but he had seen this look before, every day for a year.

They walked side by side, not talking, and came upon Veronica, who was standing by her locker. She looked up at Duncan with fondness, and Logan's stomach clenched. He wondered if there was something rekindling there. Or maybe there was nothing to rekindle, because it had continued to…kindle…all along. Why the hell had they broken up, anyhow? He'd never gotten a straight answer out of Duncan about that.

"How's your head?" asked Veronica, smiling softly.

Duncan looked at her, his expression vague. "It's better," he said. He moved on down the hall without a backward look.

Veronica looked startled, and inadvertently glanced up at Logan. Their eyes locked, for once not at war, concerned in the same way. They turned to watch Duncan walk away. When he had turned the corner, Logan spoke.

"I thought he was better," he said. He didn't elaborate. He didn't need to. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod.

"Yeah," she said. "Me too. Yesterday, he was…asking about the way things used to be. Being more like Duncan and less like…"

"Like a shell who doesn't react to much of anything," Logan finished for her. He looked at her directly. "You know, even in zombie-Duncan state, he reacts to you."

She wrinkled her brow, watching him warily. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Settle down, Mars. I just mean that I only saw a rise out of him when he got pissed at me for yanking your chain too hard."

"Is that what you were doing?" she asked. "'Yanking my chain?' Cause I have another name for it."

He smirked at her. "I bet you do. Well, keep this in mind. We have a cease fire going, right? If you want to try a little experiment, just let me know, and we can suspend the truce, see if DK rises to defend you and we can wake him up again."

"What's the matter? Are you saving up some prime insults that are just begging to be set free?"

"Only the best for you, Mars." He winked and backed away. This thing they had going, the equal sparring, was a little too much fun. Definitely more fun than when she had just taken his crap and crumbled. He liked this fighting, feisty Veronica a hell of a lot more than her trembling counterpart. "You say the word, I'll unleash the hounds. Only this time, you'll know I don't really mean it."

He turned and headed for class. He could almost hear her mouth hit the floor behind him, and he grinned.

After school, Logan waited by his car, his eye on the LeBaron. He wasn't sure why he was waiting for her. He had thought a little more about Duncan, and decided that there might be something to the half-joking plan he had mentioned that morning. It might be worth a shot. But he wanted them to be on the same page.

He spotted her jogging across the parking lot, so focused on getting to her car that she nearly got hit by another car leaving the lot. The driver swore at her out the window, but she just kept going. She was in her car and backing out of the spot almost before he had a chance to stand up, and he hurried around to the driver's side of the XTerra, determined to follow her and have a talk.

Two hours later, he was wondering where the hell she was going. He had expected to follow her home, or to her dad's office, but she had gotten on the highway and soon hopped on Interstate 8 heading east. He thought several times about turning around and talking to her the next day, but then his curiosity got the best of him. It was a school night. Was she running away? On a case? He couldn't help but continue to chase her.

After another hour, he called her. She picked up right away, with a normal hello, and he figured she hadn't looked at the display.

"Mars, where are you?" he asked. He knew, of course. She was several cars ahead of him. He had been careful not to follow too closely because his yellow beast of a car was too recognizable. He was frankly a little surprised she hadn't noticed him yet.

"Logan." She sighed. "What do you want? You keep calling me like this, people are going to talk."

He smirked. "I was wondering where you are. I stopped by the office and you weren't there."

"No. Dad's out of town and I had something to do this afternoon, so it's closed."

He rolled his eyes skyward, thanking his lucky stars he hadn't been more specific about what he had found at said office.

"What did you have to do?"

"None of your business, Echolls. Now, is there something you want from me, or can I go back to my regularly scheduled life? Let me guess: you're in a jam and need me to prove you innocent. Fine, but I charge by the hour and if I find out you did it after all I'll go to Lamb. Or maybe I'll just leave him an anonymous note," she added, after a beat.

He let out a bark of laughter. "I'll keep that in mind. I wanted to talk about this Duncan thing again. It might not actually be a bad idea to join forces here. For the limited purpose of a common friend, that is."

Silence. He waited patiently, knowing she hadn't hung up. Finally, she spoke, quietly.

"He's not my friend, Logan. He hasn't been for a year. It was a mistake to think that might be changing back."

"Ronnie—"

"Don't, " she said sharply. "You don't get to call me that. You're not my friend either. A cease fire is not a friendship. Especially when I'm pretty sure it won't last."

"It won't? Why, are you planning something especially dastardly? Because I'm not."

"It's not much of a truce when you continue to fire warning shots across the bow."

"What are you talking about?" Logan asked, perplexed.

"You're kidding, right? Do you remember our last phone conversation? Do you recall the part where you accused me of dumping Duncan in the doorway of the emergency room? What about the point when I hung up? What was it...oh yes, you were once again making up stories about my sex life. My panties, if I remember correctly."

Logan heard her bitter tone, and tried to think. He remembered the conversation, remembered her hanging up on him. That had really been more about Troy than her, and he hadn't meant it, but why would she know that?

"Hey, Veronica, I-"

"I can't talk about this right now," she said, and he could envision her steeling her features, putting the hard mask back into place. "I told you, I have something to do. I'm hanging up now. Don't call me again."

Logan's phone beeped, signaling the end of the call. He tossed the gadget onto the passenger seat and frowned. Had she meant don't call her again ever? Or just not today?

An hour later, he followed her off the highway and into a small dingy neighborhood in some nowhere town in Arizona. What the hell was she up to? He had half a mind to call Keith Mars and find out if he knew his daughter was driving four hours into another state on a school night. In that junker of a car, that could break down at any time. What would she do if it did?

Well, at least she knew how to change a tire. He could take credit for that, he supposed.

He followed at a greater distance now that there weren't any other cars on the road, careful not to lose her. She still didn't seem to notice him. When he saw her pull to the side of the road, he turned down another street, parked, and then got out of the car to watch her on foot. He ducked behind a religious statue in someone's front yard and watched her talking to a woman wearing a gardening smock. The woman enveloped Veronica in a hug, but Veronica pulled back. They continued to talk, and then Veronica shook her head, backing away. When she turned towards him and ran back to her car, she had her arms clutched around her stomach.

He raced to his car and managed to tail her back to the highway, where she got on the westbound ramp. Reasonably sure she was headed straight back to Neptune, he turned around and once again found the house she had stopped at. He pulled up and exited the SUV. The woman in the smock looked up in surprise.

"Can I help you?" she asked, holding a trowel in front of her.

"I'm sorry to bother you," he said, his mind racing. "I just…I was wondering if there's anything else you can think of that you didn't tell…my friend when she asked just now."

He kept his statement deliberately vague, not knowing what Veronica was doing here, or if she was incognito or what.

The woman looked sad, and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's like I told Veronica. Lianne was here until a couple of weeks ago, but she wouldn't tell me where she was going when she left. It's because I'm terrible at keeping secrets. I would have told Veronica if I could…she looked so lost. A girl needs her mother."

Logan stepped back, stunned. Veronica was trying to track down her mother. Of course. What else would send her flying across state lines for a brief conversation, and what else would send her running away, obviously in pain?

He ran his hand through his hair. "Thanks," he said. "I just thought I'd try. I wasn't sure if you were shielding her…if you knew something bad and didn't want to say."

The woman shook her head. "No, no. Nothing bad. Lianne is…fine. She misses Veronica, and Neptune, and…Keith."

Logan's gaze sharpened at the woman's hesitations, both of them. He picked on the latter one. "Just Keith?"

Suddenly the woman looked nervous. She looked around. "Oh, you know, her other friends too, I'm sure. Her life there. She's just too scared to go back."

Logan forced his features into a smile. "Really, I won't tell Veronica anything that Lianne doesn't want her to know. But I want to help. If Lianne is scared, maybe I can do something, make it so she feels safe enough to come home."

The woman shook her head. "I've said too much. I'm sorry. This is Lianne's business, and not mine. If she's going to let that man's wife—" she stopped, her eyes wide. Then she laughed nervously. "You know, I just remembered I have an appointment. I'm late. Drive safe."

Logan considered reaching out and grabbing the woman's arm as she dashed into the house, but decided against it. The last thing he needed was for her to call the police. Instead, he noted the address and climbed back into his car.

As he got onto the highway, he pondered the woman's words. It could only mean one thing, that Lianne Mars was having an affair with someone in Neptune. A married someone, and the wife of whoever this was had threatened Lianne enough to make her leave town.

Logan always thought Veronica's mother had left because she was ashamed that Keith had been removed from office and wasn't strong enough to stand by her family. He had never liked Lianne Mars. He knew she was a drinker, much like his mother was, so he recognized the signs. More than that, she struck him as fake, and discontent with her life. He wasn't that surprised when she left. But this woman had painted a slightly different story, and he had to think about what to do with the information he had. Should he tell Veronica, let her puzzle it out? Or would she rather not know? Silly question, Veronica always wanted to know, he thought with a smile. The better question was whether she would be better off not knowing?

Without finding any answers, he stepped hard on the gas.

In a little less than an hour, he had caught up with the Le Baron. He kept it in sight until they reached Neptune. He hadn't decided what he was going to do, exactly…make sure she got home? Follow her and talk to her? He was surprised when, instead of heading for her neighborhood, she drove towards his.

His heart started beating faster. Was she coming to see him? What did that mean?

In a few minutes, however, it became clear she wasn't headed for the Echolls' estate. Instead, she pulled up in front of a medium-sized McMansion. He pulled over a few houses down and watched her get out of her car. She paced in a circle for a minute, then pulled out her phone. She sat on the hood of her car and pressed a few buttons, holding the phone against her ear.

A minute later, someone emerged from the front gate, went straight to Veronica, and she wrapped her arms around him. Logan squinted, trying to see who it was in the dark and from this distance. When they pulled apart, the streetlight hit the guy's face, and Logan clenched his fist.

Troy.

What was she doing coming to Troy's house at eleven o'clock at night? He ground his teeth together. If Duncan wanted to get back together with Veronica, and if that's what it took to get him out of his zombie state, then Logan wanted Veronica to be just as Duncan left her…untouched.

He resisted the urge to get out of the car and yank them apart as they continued to hold each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, Veronica pulled out of Troy's embrace and swiped at her face with her sleeves as if she had been crying. Of course she had been crying, Logan thought, she had gotten nowhere in her search for her mother. Troy leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, then ushered her into her car. He closed the door, waved, and then stepped back as she drove off.

Logan waited for Troy to turn around and go back inside before he followed her again. This time, she went straight home. He waited until she disappeared into the crappy apartment complex – which, in point of fact, he hadn't known she lived in – and drove home.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and never wake up again, but Backup was beside himself having been cooped up in the apartment all day. She took him out and brought him back in as quickly as she could, shivering inside the sweatshirt she had grabbed off of her floor. She downed a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin and stumbled into her bedroom, where she promptly fell face first on her bed.

She lay there for a little while, trying to convince herself that it would be better to get up and take off her shoes and jeans, maybe brush her teeth, and check the messages and see if her dad had called home and not her cell for some reason. She had just given up the argument and fallen into a restless doze when her phone jangled, announcing a text message.

Veronica opened one eye and glared in the direction of her bag. After another brief argument, she pushed herself off the bed and crossed the room to retrieve the offending gadget. She flipped it on and peered at the screen. What she saw there made her brows draw together in confusion.

_From: Logan_

_If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots. – Napoleon Bonaparte_

What was that supposed to mean? She hesitated, then punched in a message.

_To: Logan_

_You're a freak. Does this mean the truce is still on?_

She had his response in under a minute.

_From: Logan_

_I'll try to avoid the pin-pricks if you will._

She typed quickly.

_To: Logan_

_What about Duncan?_

Her phone jangled almost immediately.

_From: Logan_

_That's the eternal question, isn't it? Sleep well._

Veronica stared at the display until it powered down on its own. She laid back down in bed, and curled into a small ball. Despite the long trip for a whole lot of nothing that evening, her exhaustion, and the disappointment she felt that she was no closer to finding her mother, she fell asleep quickly and slept dreamlessly until morning.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N3: Other characters will get more screen time in upcoming installments, not to worry! Also, I can't promise future chapters will be this fast! :)

16


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: Thank you to everyone for reading, favoriting, and reviewing. A number of you have caught one big effect of Duncan not driving Veronica to Gold Coast...they don't get stopped and Veronica doesn't find out about Lilly's ticket, thus she doesn't yet know (in this story) about the changed time of death or the problem with all of the Kanes' alibis. You'll have to keep reading to see how that plays out, and what else changes as a result...

A/N3: This is a supremely lengthy chapter. I couldn't help it. I'll shut up now.

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Veronica starts dating Troy. Logan wonders why Duncan dumped Veronica. Logan and Veronica worry about Duncan's zombie-like state, and talk about doing something to snap him out of it. Logan follows Veronica to Arizona and confronts Lianne Mars' friend on his own, learning that Lianne was having an affair with a married man whose wife threatened Lianne and ran her out of Neptune.

Chapter Three: Rocky Road to Re-CON-ciliation

Duncan flopped back against the couch in his game room and threw his arm across his face, groaning.

"Come on, DK, take it like a man," said Logan, punching his leg. "You have got to practice more, or you're never going to be the supreme master." He flourished the video game controller like a pair of nun-chucks.

Duncan peeked out from beneath his arm. "Now you're just asking for a beating," he said with a grin. He sat up straight and restarted the game. The boys hunched forward, elbows on knees, concentrating on the television screen once more.

After a few minutes of playing in relative silence – but for occasional grunts and taunts – Logan glanced over at his friend.

"Hey, I gotta ask you something."

Duncan grunted in response, which Logan took to be an invitation to go ahead.

"Your boy Troy. You okay with the fact that he's dating Veronica?"

Duncan glanced at Logan, then back at the screen. "I don't know, I guess. Why?"

"He's your friend, he's dating your ex, who we happen to hate. It's not weird for you?"

Duncan shrugged but didn't take his eyes off of the screen. "It's fine."

_Sure_, thought Logan. _It's so fine that when you saw them kissing last week, you went Evil Knieval off the bleachers and ended up in the hospital. But live in denial, see if I care._

"If you say so," said Logan with a shrug of his own.

"By the way," Duncan said quietly, "I don't hate Veronica. That's your deal."

Logan shot a look at Duncan, who was still intent on the screen. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. But don't put your vendetta against her on me. I never told you to go after her."

"You never stopped me." Logan paused the game and threw his controller to the ground, turning to look at Duncan full on.

Duncan raised a brow at him. "Like you would have stopped if I had asked."

"I guess we'll never know the answer to that, will we? You never had the balls to try." Logan's tone turned sarcastic. This was practically the first real conversation he had had with Duncan – he best friend, for god's sake – in a year, and it was heading in a sinister direction.

The boys stared at each other a minute. Logan wasn't sure what to say next. Before he had to make a decision, the door to the game room opened and Celeste poked her head in.

"Duncan, there you are. Your father and I need to speak with you."

Duncan rolled his eyes at Logan, paused the game, and stood up. "Be right back, man."

The door closed behind them. "Sure," muttered Logan. "Take your time."

After a few minutes, Logan decided to explore the Kanes' refrigerator. He made his way through the bright, open rooms, trying to decide if he could get away with swiping a bottle from the liquor cabinet, when he heard the Kanes talking in Jake's study. He stopped in the hallway, just out of sight.

"He's doing better, I think." Jake sounded tired, defeated.

"Better than what, Jake? Better than a year ago? Better than last week, when he was tossing the pills down the garbage disposal and jumping off of bleachers?" Celeste's icy tone carried farther than Jake's, and Logan heard Jake shushing her.

_What pills?_ Logan wondered.

"Can we just get through the anniversary and dedication before we start creating more drama? Just get through the next couple of weeks?"

Logan could practically hear Celeste's sneer. "Yes, let's do that. Maybe you could remember who you married for at least this week. Could you do that, do you think?"

"I don't know what you're referring to. I have to go to the office."

"Of course you do."

Logan quickly backed down the hallway toward the game room, not wanting to get caught. He didn't entirely understand what he had heard, but it wasn't really a surprise that the Kane's perfect family was a façade. Weren't they all?

When he returned to the game room, Duncan was back and had the game going again, in single player mode. He looked up.

"Where'd you go, man?" Duncan asked.

"Bathroom," said Logan. He was hesitant to return to their earlier conversation, but had one more question he needed to ask. "If you don't hate Veronica, and you're cool with her and Troy, do you think maybe it's time to let her off the hook? I think she'd be friends with us again if we—"

"No."

"No what?"

"I don't hate her, but I don't want her around. Can we play?" He gestured towards the screen, then smiled. "I think I'm ready to kick your ass."

"Yeah, sure." Logan sat down and picked up the controller. What the hell had Veronica done to Duncan to make him dump her, and not want to be around her? Because if there was one thing Logan was sure of, it was that Duncan wasn't over the snarky little blonde, despite the fact that a year had passed.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_I'm a reasonably intelligent, worldy girl who, despite my tender age, can probably make better decisions than many adults. And yet, my father finds it necessary to complicate my life by questioning my judgment. Aren't I fortunate to have such a loving, caring parental figure?_

Veronica opened the door to her room and hurried down the hall to where Keith was sitting at the counter with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.

"I don't smell any bacon," she accused, before kissing her dad on the cheek.

"That's probably because no one made any," Keith said. He eyed Veronica. "Did I promise to make you bacon while I was asleep again? It's like the pony you keep insisting I promised. I told you, honey, promises made when my eyes are closed don't count."

She giggled and then put her stern expression back on. "No, but you annoyed me last night with your whole stalking the front door and demanding to meet Troy who I have been out with all of three times and—"

"And who is taking you to the homecoming dance?"

Her mouth dropped open. "How did you know about that?"

"I was stalking the front door and heard him ask."

Veronica glared. "Then you also heard that I didn't answer. Maybe I have a different date in mind. You don't know."

"Oh? And who would this different date be?" Keith casually took a sip of coffee and turned the page of the newspaper.

"Troy is a nice guy. The teachers like him. He has friends and he just started at Neptune. He obeys traffic laws and doesn't get fresh with me. You should be glad I've chosen a gentleman and not someone like…Weevil. Or Logan Echolls."

Keith snorted, and Veronica raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you were dating Eli Navarro, you wouldn't have to introduce him to me. I'd just wait until he got arrested again and arrange to 'visit' his cell for a chat. And Logan, well, you've heard what they say about the devil you know…"

Veronica folded her arms across her chest. "Dad –"

Keith sighed. "Veronica, I am meeting this boy. End of story. Set it up."

Veronica groaned.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll only have one handgun out on the table when he comes over."

"Word of advice for the future. Bullheaded parenting maneuvers go down a lot more smoothly with a side of bacon." She turned and stomped out of the apartment, leaving Keith smiling fondly after her.

Veronica's day didn't get any better once she arrived at school. Wallace cornered her first thing, wanting her to help this new girl he was obsessed with. The girl, whatever her name was…Virginia?...was, in Veronica's opinion, a complete idiot, and not worth Wallace's time. But Wallace _liked_ her, and got this goofy smile on his face when he talked about her, so Veronica couldn't bring herself to tell him to find a less obtuse crush. So she agreed to help this girl get back _six thousand dollars_ that she had willingly handed over, _in cash_, to some guy who sent her a random email "by mistake." At least she'd get paid.

Then, in newspaper class, during the Neptune High news broadcast, they announced the dedication of the "Lilly Kane Memorial Fountain" that weekend to kick off the homecoming festivities. She had accidentally caught Logan's eye during the broadcast, and he had looked away quickly, but not before she saw her own emotional struggle mirrored in his expression.

The mention of the dedication in connection with homecoming had brought an onslaught of memories of last year's homecoming, which was two weeks before Lilly died. And _that_ had made her think about Troy's invitation. She wasn't really sure what she wanted to do about that. It wasn't that she didn't want to go with Troy, it was that she wasn't sure she wanted to go at all. Trouble was, how could she explain why, when only two people would really understand, one of whom ignored her and the other…well, she wasn't sure what their status was anymore.

Troy caught up with Veronica as she hurried down the hall to her locker after class. He grinned at her, and she smiled back, trying to figure out how to tell him he had to meet her dad, the former Sheriff and current private investigator who owned numerous weapons. Finally, she just blurted it out as Troy was saying something about miniature golf.

"My dad wants to meet you."

They reached her locker, and Troy shrugged, not seeming bothered by the concept at all.

"That's cool. I'll come to the door and pick you up."

She looked at him, the concern evident on her face, and he laughed. "Don't worry, I give good parent." He leaned in and kissed her, and she relaxed. As he backed away he said, a little too casually, "by the way, just so I can…make the proper arrangements…homecoming is a go?"

She hesitated, and then nodded. His smile widened, and he winked at her and strolled around the corner.

_Way to ignore your instinct, Veronica. Then again, your instinct might be an idiot. What possible problem would there be with going to an important high school dance with a cute, popular boy? The answer is none. Then why do I feel like I've just agreed to have my toenails pulled out one by one?_

She watched him go. When he had turned the corner, she noticed Logan leaning against Duncan's locker a little way down the hall. He was glaring in the direction Troy had gone.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan watched Troy swagger down the hall, and shook his head, unable to disguise his disdain. So Veronica was going to homecoming with the joker. Was he actually going to take her to the dance, or would they take a page out of the Lilly Kane handbook and have a limo party instead? Thinking about that, and last year's homecoming festivities, brought on a twist of his stomach that was equal parts fondness, nostalgia, despair, and remorse.

Logan pushed the memories aside and focused on the problem at hand. The bottom line was that he didn't trust Troy Vandergraff. There was something about the kid that smelled of snake, and Logan was used to trusting his instincts. Troy sort of reminded Logan of his father, and that was never a good thing.

The trouble was, what could he do about it? If he tried to talk to Veronica, she'd just get pissed – more pissed – at him. She'd never believe that his concern was real. He hardly believed it, for that matter, but he couldn't quite lie convincingly enough to himself that he was just protecting Duncan. Not anymore.

Word was, if you were a student at Neptune High and wanted something found out, you talked to Veronica Mars. He had seen her sleuthing firsthand only a couple of weeks ago. Since he couldn't ask her to investigate her own boyfriend without incurring her wrath and upsetting their truce, he'd have to go to the one other person who just might have the same – probably more intense – interest in getting the results.

An hour later, Logan pushed open the door marked _Mars Investigations_ and entered a front room with file cabinets, a sofa, and a desk. He wandered into the office, looking around. There was a little kitchenette, and another door, which he assumed was Keith Mars' office. The door was open, so he strolled over and leaned around the corner.

Keith was working at his desk, intent on a pile of papers in front of him. Logan cleared his throat, and Keith looked up. The surprise on his face relaxed into a cautious and curious smile.

"Logan." Keith glanced at his watch, then raised a brow at Logan. "Should I ask why you aren't in school, or is that just a waste of our time?"

Logan leaned against the doorjamb, his head tilted to the side. "I'm not at school because I'm here," he said with a smirk, "and, no matter how much I try, I just can't seem to perfect the art of being in two places at once."

Keith rolled his eyes, then gestured to the chairs on the other side of his desk. "Please, sit."

Logan crossed to one of the chairs and slouched into it, considering Keith carefully. He had always liked Veronica's father, to a point. The man was certainly the only one of their parents – the Kanes, the Echolls, and the Mars, that is – who could curb any of their wilder activities. Veronica was the only one of the four of them who really didn't want to get in trouble, and at the time, Logan thought it was because her dad was the one who carried a gun. Now, after everything that had happened, he thought just maybe it was because she didn't want to disappoint him.

When Logan didn't speak right away, Keith looked at him curiously. "It's been a while, Logan. How have you been?"

"Fine, sir," Logan said. He grinned too brightly, made his voice a little too cheerful. "Why, I've grown four inches and put on fifteen pounds of muscle in the past year."

The corner of Keith's mouth twitched. "And your parents?"

The smile on Logan's face stayed intact, but this time he couldn't help the bitter sarcasm the leaked around the edges of his false cheer. "You know Aaron Echolls, always happy as long as the fans adore, and mother is happily smiling at his side for all of the paparazzi."

After a moment, Keith leaned forward. "Why don't you tell me why you're here. I assume you have some purpose other than a social visit."

"Always the smart one, Sheriff."

"It's Mr. Mars now, Logan."

"Sure thing, Sheriff. Here's the situation. I have a bad feeling about someone who's been hanging around a…friend. I think this kid is hiding something. I'd like to find out what that is before he hurts this friend."

Keith steepled his fingers together. "A simple background check could do the trick. I could run some searches for a flat fee, see what I come up with, and if you're not satisfied I could dig a little deeper on an hourly rate."

"Perfect," said Logan.

"Any idea what he might be hiding?"

Logan shrugged. "Not really. It's nothing specific, just a gut feeling. This guy is bad news. He's a little too slick, if you know what I mean. No one is that shiny. It's like he's worked really hard to put together a persona that will hide whatever is underneath."

Keith looked worried. "If you're talking about personality, that kind of information won't show up on a search. If he's been in trouble before, however, that's another story." He pulled out a pad. "Tell me about this guy."

"He's new in town, just started at Neptune a couple of weeks ago. His family has moved around a lot. 90909, but he's no Echolls. Or Kane." Logan smirked.

Keith stopped writing and narrowed his eyes at Logan. "Name?"

"Troy Vandergraff, parents Lawrence and Betsy."

With a sigh, Keith put down the pad and slumped back in his chair. "Logan, I can't investigate my daughter's boyfriend."

"You can."

"I won't." Keith leaned forward again. "My daughter's trust is important to me, and I won't invade her privacy that way. If she asked me to do it, I would, but I won't go behind her back."

"Her trust and her privacy are more important than her safety?"

Keith's brow wrinkled in concern. "What exactly makes you think she isn't safe with Troy? All I heard you say is that you have a feeling about him."

"I know there's something off, that's all. I have some experience with people who are all affable charm on the outside and sadistic on the inside."

Keith looked at him, and nodded slowly, his face serious. "I expect you do."

Logan tried not to squirm in his seat. He had always wondered if Keith Mars knew about his father, and he supposed now he had his answer. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Logan, the trouble is, a feeling isn't proof."

"So get proof." Logan stood up. "Think about it. I heard you're meeting him soon. You can read people. If you don't see what I see, I'll let it go."

Keith nodded, and stood as well. When he held out his hand, Logan hid his surprise and shook it firmly.

As he turned to go, Keith called his name. "Thank you for looking out for Veronica," Keith said. "I wasn't sure anyone was doing that anymore but me."

Logan closed his eyes a moment and swallowed hard. No, people hadn't been looking out for Veronica. _He_ certainly hadn't. Hell, she needed someone to look out for her _because_ of him. Finally, he opened his eyes and met Keith's.

"She does a pretty good job of looking out for herself," Logan said. He turned and walked out the door.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Veronica and Wallace met up between classes. The day before, they, along with the clueless girl – whose name was _Georgia_, not Virginia – had gone to meet "Karl" at the park. Wallace had planted a tracer on Karl's car, and later, Veronica had tailed him to a community theater and confronted him. Karl, or Jimmy, which was his real name, was possibly an even bigger idiot than Georgia.

Now, she filled Wallace in on what she had found out: Jimmy was hired for what he thought was an acting job on a candid camera-like television program called "Duped." He had given her the number from which he had gotten the casting call. Unfortunately, the number was that of a pay phone that didn't accept incoming calls.

"From a place called 'Gameland,'" she told Wallace. "I guess it's a cyber café or something. I'm going to check it out after school."

Wallace laughed and shook his head. "Not a cyber café, a gaming club. You know, like a bunch of computer nerds trying to blow each other up." He squinted at her. "Only girls they see in there are Japanimated. So…you aren't really going to blend."

Veronica smiled. "So I won't blend."

At the end of the day, Veronica hurried through the halls. She figured if she went home and changed and headed over to Gameland, and luck was with her, she'd be able to have movie night with Wallace like they'd planned.

As she trotted past the newspaper classroom, she froze. She was pretty sure she had just heard Lilly's voice, and that was impossible. Slowly, she looked inside the dark room, and spotted Logan slouched at a computer terminal, watching some kind of video and making notes. Quietly, she came up behind him. On the screen, a tiny Lilly rode on horseback, smiling and waving angelically at the camera. Veronica swallowed hard at the sight of her best friend.

"What part of me ignoring you makes you think you're welcome?" said Logan without looking up. She heard the roughness in his voice. She ignored his comment and moved closer.

"What are you doing?" she asked, smiling at the images on the screen.

After a moment, Logan replied, still not looking at her. "Assembling the world's most boring memorial video." His voice was dry and bitter, and he picked up one video cassette after another and tossed them onto the desk. "Ballet, choir recital, debutante crap, girl scouts. Memories both misty and water colored."

She watched as the clips changed from one sweet moment to another. "It's Lilly as a long distance commercial," she said softly.

He laughed humorlessly. "Well, it isn't really about Lilly, is it? God, this would piss her off," he muttered. He finally looked up at her, and she could tell he was having a hard time keeping it together, even watching the "misty and water colored" clips.

They watched each other a moment, and then he turned back to the computer. "Scurry along, now. I'm sure you have things to do."

She watched him a few more seconds, and then turned to leave. She was nearly out the door when his voice pulled her up short.

"Wait. Hey, Veronica, wait a second."

She turned, the question in her eyes.

"Back then, you were always sticking your cameras in our faces. Do you maybe have anything that isn't so…"

"Sweet?" she asked.

"Virginal," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Maybe. I can look tonight, bring whatever I find in tomorrow?"

"Or…I could come with you, take it now. There's not much time to put this together."

"Well—" she hesitated, about to tell him no, but then changed her mind. "Okay. But I have to be somewhere in a bit, so it'll have to be now, and it'll have to be quick."

He nodded, and busied himself saving files and shutting down programs. When he was ready, they headed for the parking lot.

"Follow me, okay?" she said. "I don't have time to come back here after."

"Whatever," he shrugged.

Ten minutes later, they parked at her complex, and he followed her to her apartment. She noticed him looking around as they crossed the cracked pavement and walked by the dingy pool with the rusty lounge chairs. She clenched her teeth as she put her key in the lock, reminding herself she had nothing to be embarrassed about, and wouldn't rise to the bait no matter how much he looked around in disdain.

_Go ahead, Logan, make some kind of comment about trailer trash. I should have insisted I bring the footage tomorrow, and avoided putting so much temptation to be a jackass in front of him. He'll never be able to resist, and then I'll get mad, and we'll be back to square one. That shouldn't make me feel so...tired._

When they entered the apartment, Backup greeted them with loud barks.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Nice dog."

"Backup is more than just a dog," Veronica said. "He's back-up. One word from me and he'll go for your throat, so don't make any sudden moves and keep your hands where I can see them."

Logan put two hands over his throat and widened his eyes in mock horror. She stifled a laugh.

"He has to go out," she told Logan. "I'm sorry, I can't make him wait. It won't take long. You can..." she trailed off. Logan stood in the doorway, looking around the small space. Her stomach tightened slightly, and she dug her hands into Backup's fur, watching his reaction. His expression was impassive. She tried to detect any sign of contempt or derision, but she saw nothing. His eyes traveled over the tiny kitchen, the stools around the counter, the compact living room, the dark hallway that led to the bedrooms. Finally, his eyes met hers.

She decided she didn't want him hanging around the apartment while she wasn't there, and started her sentence again. "Come on. It'll only take a minute." She gathered Backup's leash and clipped it to his collar, motioning with her hands for Logan to retreat back out the door. He did, shoving his hands in his pockets.

He didn't say anything as they made their way down the long wooden staircase to the beach. They walked along the side of the cliff, waiting for Backup to do his thing. He sniffed his way forward, being picky as usual.

Veronica broke the silence. "So I've got some videos of us - Lilly and I - dancing around and being goofy. I know there's a couple of Halloweens, and something from Duncan's last birthday party...or, the last one I was at," she finished awkwardly.

After a minute, Logan spoke up. "Do you remember last year at homecoming?"

Veronica took a careful breath before she replied. "Yeah. I was just thinking about that the other day." She risked a glance at Logan. His hands were still in his pockets, and he was watching his feet as they walked.

"That was a really good night," he said, looking up at her. Their eyes met, and he smiled and looked back down quickly.

"Yeah." Her voice was soft.

"One of the last good ones," he mumbled.

They turned around and headed back up to the apartment in silence. They reached the door, and she let Backup inside, turning to look at Logan once more. "I think I have video of that night."

The smile returned, and this time something mischievous glinted in his eyes. "That sounds like just the thing to make this project a little more...Lilly."

She smiled back.

Once inside, her discomfort returned. She hung Backup's leash on the hook by the door and then glanced at Logan. He was again standing near the doorway, his shoulders hunched slightly.

"You can...have a seat...on the couch." She waved in the direction of the sofa. "The remote's on the coffee table. Do you want something to drink?"

He smirked. "Do you have anything that starts with 'J' and ends with 'ack daniels'?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Just sit down. I'll be right back."

In her bedroom, she dug around in the drawers of her desk, unearthing several videotapes dated a year ago and earlier. She frowned at them, because despite the dates, they weren't otherwise labeled. Cursing herself for not being more organized, she hooked her small video camera up to her computer and began to review the tapes. She had a small stack of ones involving Lilly when she found the homecoming footage. She had never been able to bring herself to watch this tape, not when it had been so close to the murder, and she held her breath in anticipation.

She watched in silence as, onscreen, Logan of a year ago struck goofy poses while Duncan paced the Kane foyer, looking annoyed and yelling for Lilly. She watched Lilly's grand entrance, and blinked back moisture in her eyes at the sight of her best friend looking stunning in her gold dress. She smiled at Logan's humorous - yet genuine - reaction of awe.

The scene cut to the four of them in the limo, champagne flutes in hand, playing truth or dare. Duncan had the camera, and she smiled as Lilly asked Logan what he had thought of Veronica the first time they met. When he answered, she was surprised to note his blush and the way he squirmed in the seat. She laughed when, moments later, Lilly crawled past Logan and planted a kiss on Veronica's lips.

"I think that particular moment should be reserved for our private viewing pleasure," said Logan from behind her. Veronica gasped and whirled around. Logan was leaning over her shoulder to watch the video, and when she looked up at him, he smirked at her. "I'm just saying we should leave that clip out of the memorial video. Save something for ourselves."

She smacked his shoulder, very much the way she just had on the video when he commented on her soccer uniform, but she was smiling.

"I hadn't watched this one before," she said softly, her eyes darting back to the video. "I just wanted to see..."

"Yeah," he said. He looked back at the screen. "Ah yes, I Never. The game best played with one's enemies in order to air all of their dirty secrets."

"What if they air yours too?" asked Veronica, watching Lilly reveal that she had seen her parents having sex and Duncan fake retching in the background.

"The trick, young grasshopper, is not to have any secrets. Air your own dirty laundry, then you are in control, and no one can hurt you by using them against you."

Veronica thought about that a moment. The trouble was that she had spent the past year being hurt by people making up secrets and revealing them. She couldn't imagine how much harder it would have been to endure if they had actually gotten hold of any real secrets.

"Why did you cut your hair?" Logan's voice dragged Veronica out of her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Your hair." Logan gestured to the screen, where she and Lilly were holding hands and spinning around on the beach, their long blonde hair whirling around them. "You cut it all off. I always wondered why you did that."

Veronica clenched her hands together in her lap. Funny that they were just discussing secrets. Well, this was one she wasn't going to _air_ on her own.

"No reason," she said, shrugging and trying to appear casual. "I just felt like it."

"You changed you clothes, too," said Logan. He looked in the direction of her closet. "Did you get rid of all the pastels, or are they hiding in the back there somewhere?"

"I think this is all of the footage I have," said Veronica, removing the homecoming video form the camera and picking up the stack of small tapes. She stood up and held them out to Logan.

He held her eyes, his intense stare telling her he saw through her sudden change of subject. She prayed he'd just let it go, for now anyway. After a moment, he took the tapes.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll get them back to you. Unless you - I mean, I don't know if you were interested, but if you wanted, I guess it wouldn't totally suck if you helped put this together."

Yes, yes she really did want to. But she didn't know if she could stand to. Even watching the footage quickly just now had left her feeling shaky. Besides, she had work to do.

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Thanks, though. I just have stuff to do. You'll do a great job."

"Sure," he said. "Well, see you."

He turned and walked out, and a minute later she heard the door close.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

In the parking lot, Logan sat in his car, the pile of videotapes on the passenger seat. His stomach felt hollow, and he wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead. Watching that homecoming footage had been a shock, and that was putting it lightly. Seeing Lilly looking so...alive, such a short time before her death, had sent memories and emotions long buried under sarcasm and bravado surging to the surface.

Veronica being there was somehow right. He could keep it together in front of her, be the one in control in case she wasn't. And if they both lost control, at least they would know they weren't alone in it. Asking her to help with the video was self-preservation more than anything. He wasn't sure how much time he could spend watching this footage that was so much more Lilly than any of the crap Celeste had given Duncan. He couldn't talk to Duncan about it, and that left Veronica.

But she had things to do.

He had put the key in the ignition, intending to go back to school and get to work, when his attention was drawn to a small figure hurrying across the lot. He gave the girl a good ogle. She was wearing knee socks and chunky heels, an incredibly short plaid skirt, and a fitted short-sleeved white blouse with a tie. She also had these edgy little fingerless gloves on that reached her elbows, and her short dark hair swished around her shoulders as she rounded the corner of Veronica's LeBaron and -

Logan was out of his car and across the lot in seconds. He rapped on the window of the LeBaron. Veronica, wearing a wig, looked up in surprise. She relaxed when she saw it was him, and rolled down the window.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He ignored her question entirely.

She raised an eyebrow. "I believe they are called clothes. If that's all you wanted to know, I have to get going. I'm already running late."

She started to roll up the window, but he put his hand over it. "Veronica, you know what I'm asking. What the hell are you doing wearing a wig and that...porn star outfit."

She gaped at him, and then laughed. "Porn star outfit?" She looked down. "I think this is what they wear over at St. Bernadette's. I'm guessing the sisters would be very interested to know that they dress their students as porn stars."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Where are you going in that? And what's with the wig?"

"A case," she said. "It's called a disguise." He stared at her, and she sighed. "I really am late."

"You're really bad at answering questions. Where are you going?" he repeated.

"Gameland, not that it's any of your business."

"Gameland? You are _not_ walking into Gameland wearing _that_."

"Logan, can you please stop asking questions and giving orders? Either step away from the car and let me do my job, or explain to me why you think this is such a problem."

"It's dangerous," he said.

"And you care because..."

He clenched his jaw. "I don't want you to get hurt."

She laughed, but this time it wasn't a laugh of amusement. "Really, Logan. I find that so _interesting_, especially since you've gone out of your way to make sure I was hurt for most of the last year. Forgive me if I think you're full of shit."

He swallowed. She was right, of course. Mostly, but not completely. He shook his head. "I never wanted you _hurt_ hurt. Not physically. You walk into a video game club wearing that, and you're going to get mauled."

He saw something pass across her face, a shadow of something that he couldn't identify. Then it was gone, and she shrugged. "I doubt that."

"The guys who hang out in that place are completely starved for contact with girls." Why wouldn't she understand what he was trying to tell her?

"You think because these guys have trouble with girls, if one walks into their home base they'll go into a crazy, sex-starved frenzy?"

She was finally getting it, he thought. "Yeah. Ever been to feeding time at the aquarium?"

"Actually, I think it's more likely they'll be tongue-tied and drop things and stare. Which is exactly what I want them to do. If they're off their game, they won't be onto mine."

Logan considered that. She might be right. Still...

He stepped back from the driver's side. She relaxed and started to roll up the window, and then gasped as he jogged around the car and opened the passenger door, sliding inside.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" she asked, through gritted teeth.

"Taking Backup's place. Better get going, you're already running late. You can explain the plan to me on the way." He shot her a grin.

She looked like she was about to argue, and then like she had decided it wasn't worth it. She grumbled something under her breath, and put the car in gear.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

"Explain to me again what _he_ is doing here?" asked Wallace under his breath with a glance at Logan, who was sitting at Veronica's desk, flipping through her Calculus book.

Veronica rolled her eyes and continued to try different disguise glasses on Wallace. When she responded, she didn't bother to lower her voice. "He won't leave. Do you think between the two of us we could pick him up and toss him out?" She shot a smirk over her shoulder at the boy in question.

Logan didn't look up. "Try it and I'll show Wallace where you're most ticklish."

She stifled a laugh, and Wallace narrowed his eyes at her, and then at Logan. After a minute, he shook his head. "Okay, what exactly is the plan for tonight?"

Earlier that afternoon at Gameland, Veronica had managed to convince Logan to wait in the car while she went into the club to try to smoke out the person who was using the payphone to hire fake Karls to scam idiot girls out of their money.

She nearly laughed again when she thought of his reaction as she explained the case.

"Hang on," he had said. "Someone is sending these emails out to teenage girls and pretending it's by mistake, and these girls are just handing over cash, no questions asked?"

"It might not just be teen girls," she had clarified. "Could be anyone -"

"Anyone stupid enough to believe that story. What a sad testament to the failures of our public education system," he added, shaking his head in mock distress.

"I was thinking that it was a good lesson for people in not handing out trust willy-nilly just because someone has a charming smile." She couldn't help the smirk on her face. "I had to learn that lesson. Seems more people should."

When she glanced at him, he smirked back, and then the smirk changed into a grin. A very charming one. He leaned toward her, winked at her. "Hey, you know, I just remembered. I'm short on cash and my trust fund is locked up until next week. Can you spot me two grand? I swear I'll pay you back double."

"Dream on, Echolls," she had replied. "I said charming, not snakelike."

After she explained the situation, he had given her a pretty good - she had to admit, anyway - rundown on the way the club worked, which gave her some ideas on how to get a good look at someone once she had their screen name. She had gone into Gameland with a promise that she'd come out in a half hour or else he'd come in looking for her. It had taken her barely ten minutes to scope the place out and spot a user named 'Grrrantula.' She put that together with the email which had come from 'grrrantastictech,' and took a chance that it was the same guy. Five minutes after that, she had sufficiently pissed him off by shooting at him in a game, forcing him to reveal himself.

She then found his ID at the front desk and stole it, dashing quickly out of the club and into the bright sunlight, where Logan was pacing in front of the car. She tried to drop him off, but he had insisted on going with her to San Diego State University, which was where Grrrantula, otherwise known as Grant Winters, was a student. Even though she had started out annoyed at his interference, it was Logan who had spotted the flyers for the "Around the World" party in Grant's dorm, which gave her the idea for stage four - or was it five, she was losing count on this one - of her plan to get back Georgia's money.

Now, she explained her plan for Wallace and Logan. The three of them - since Logan was still insisting on tagging along - were going to the dorm party disguised as nerdy pre-frosh. They'd try to find out info about Grant, and Wallace and Logan would act as distractions, as necessary, so that she could break into Grant's room and have a look around.

Logan shook his head. "Sorry, I am not putting on those glasses, or anything else you have laid out over there." He gestured derisively toward the pile of geeky clothing on her bed.

"Logan, I told you. You want to come along - and I still don't know _why_ you want to - we're doing this my way." She put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look.

"Yeah, sure. To a point. I can play smart without looking like an idiot. Not every smart person looks like Bill Gates. Watch this," he said, tilting his head to the side in an arrogant pose. "I'm primarily interested in discrete math, but I can't quite decide if I should also major in computer science. The theoretical space of the latter and its intersection with the former are really where my career interests lie."

Veronica and Wallace stared at him. Finally, Veronica spoke. "Okay, fine. But never do that again."

"Hey," Wallace complained. "If he doesn't have to wear a pocket protector, why do I? I can ramble about math. I'm no idiot."

Logan clapped Wallace on the shoulder. "You're already dressed, and we're late. Let's go."

She shrugged. "He's right. We should go."

As they left her bedroom, Logan leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to throw that 'he's right' in your face for a good couple of weeks. Maybe months. Just so you know."

She jabbed her elbow in his stomach and smiled at his answering grunt.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

"So how do you guys know each other?" asked a freshman girl, handing a drink to each of them.

They had been at the party for a little while, and had so far found out that Grant and his roommate Liam were sort of legendary for having security in their dorm room and there were lots of rumors about what they did in there and their ability to screw with people's grades or finances. Logan didn't like what he heard. He wasn't so thrilled with the idea of her - or him, for that matter - messing with someone who could so easily screw things up for them. He was glad they were using fake names.

Veronica started to answer the girl's question, and Logan jumped in. "My girlfriend and her stepbrother are looking at SDSU. I'm just here for the moral support."

Wallace and Veronica both stared at Logan. He smiled down at Veronica, a challenge in his eyes. She turned back to the freshman. "He doesn't think it's important to go to college. So we might be breaking up. I told him that I couldn't stay with a someone who had no plans for his future."

"No matter how good I am in bed," said Logan, putting his arm around Veronica's shoulders. She looked up at him, her mouth dropping open.

The freshman looked amused, and Wallace spoke up. "Admissions told me I should try to talk to Grant Winters. Do you know him?"

Ten minutes later, Wallace was deep in conversation with Grant and some of the other students about math. Logan smiled, because Wallace was really holding his own, or at least it sounded like it. Veronica had gone down the hall to distract the R.A. with a story about fireworks in the hallway, and Logan was waiting for her to come back with the key to Grant's room. When he saw the R.A. run by in a panic but Veronica didn't appear immediately thereafter, he went looking for her.

He found her putting the key into the lock of Grant and Liam's dorm. She looked up when he approached and frowned.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You were supposed to come right back."

"Yeah, after I checked out the room."

"You know," he said, "you shouldn't leave your boyfriend alone at a college party, especially after threatening to break up with him. He might find some greener pastures."

"Go. Graze. Stop bothering me." She twisted the key in the lock and pushed open the door. Immediately, an alarm sounded. She looked at the keypad, and then hurried into the room, looking around. Logan followed, knowing that she had decided there was no way to disarm the alarm and she needed to get a look at the place while she had a chance.

In a matter of seconds, he heard shouting in the hallway. Without thinking, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, pushing her up against the closet door. When she gasped, he closed his mouth over hers in a hard kiss, willing her to play along.

To his surprise, she did. Her hands slid up his arms and around his neck, her fingers twisting into his hair. She kissed him back, tangling her tongue with his in a way that made him tighten his grip on her waist and press his hips against hers. He felt her moan into his mouth and pressed tighter, running his hands up her ribcage to rest on the alongside of her breasts.

Suddenly, the shouting, which had faded into the background the second the kiss had begun, became much louder. He felt a hand on his arm yanking him backwards, and suddenly he and Veronica were forcibly separated and pulled into the hallway by the beefy Liam. Liam pushed Logan a few feet away and held Veronica's shoulder against the wall.

Logan registered that Grant and Liam were yelling about how they got into the room, and Veronica was giggling about just opening the door. He vaguely realized Wallace had followed the roommates into the hall.

Then he surged forward and punched Liam in the jaw. The boy's head snapped backward and he released Veronica. Without another second's hesitation, Logan grabbed her arm with one hand and pushed past Liam and Grant, grabbing Wallace's arm with his other hand. He dragged them both down the hallway and didn't stop until they were outside.

Veronica yanked out of his grip and glared at him. "What the hell, Logan?"

He wasn't sure if she was asking about the kiss or the punch. "It's what they always do in the movies. You know, pretend to make out when they're going to get caught spying." He shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I know that. Cliché, much? I meant what the hell with the punch?"

So she wasn't going to harp on the kiss. Interesting. Or maybe annoying. He wasn't sure.

"He was hurting you."

She shook her head. "And you dragging me down two flights of stairs by my arm and leaving little finger-shaped bruises isn't hurting me?"

He stepped forward, glancing at her arm. Since it was covered in a sleeve, he couldn't tell if she was serious about the bruising. "Did I really hurt you?" he asked, searching her face.

After a minute, she sighed. "No. It's fine. Not the way I wanted to leave, having drawn so much attention to ourselves, but whatever. Let's get out of here. You were great," she said to Wallace. "Call Georgia with an update on the case and tell her that Troy got the four of us a limo for Saturday. You," she pointed at Logan, "are going to leave me alone and go put that video together."

He and Wallace exchanged a look and shrugged.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Veronica sat in the courtyard at school, alternately trying to get homework done and listening to the bug her dad had helped her plant earlier that day. He had been a little reluctant to play the DEA agent searching the dorm for drugs (with Backup in tow) but eventually he had done it, and it had already paid off. She had managed to figure out the alarm code by listening to the tones as the roommates had set it.

She had learned a lot of other things about them as well, such as the details of their scheme and the fact that they needed the money to launch a video game without being tied to any investors. She knew what she needed to do: she needed to get into the room again and steal their hard drives, holding them ransom for Georgia's cash. This case was complicated. She should have asked for more of a percentage of the recovery.

In the middle of all of this, her thoughts involuntarily turned to Logan and the day before. She really didn't understand why he had insisted on tagging along the entire time. Maybe...if she suspended her disbelief a little...she could believe he somehow felt protective enough to follow her to Gameland. After all, this was a tough week for them both.

With their truce, things had been almost pleasant with Logan. He still sniped at her now and then, but she didn't feel any animosity from him. It was starting to feel more like a game and less like a vendetta. She wasn't sure where that left them, but she had too much to think about to worry about that now.

Of course, none of that explained the kiss. Not that he had done it, necessarily. She bought his explanation that he was covering for them. What was surprising - and more than a little disturbing - was that, for a few seconds, she had actually forgotten that they were sneaking around on a case, that alarms were going off, that people were shouting. She had forgotten how much she didn't trust and didn't really know Logan anymore. She was just kissing him, and there was nothing else.

_That way lies danger, Mars. Avoid at all costs. Trust your instincts, and they say once a jackass, always a jackass._

Her phone rang, jarring her out of her thoughts. It was Troy. She picked it up, and glanced at her watch, her eyes widening as she realized she was late for their date. Which meant that Troy was hanging out in her apartment alone with her dad.

She picked up her things and raced to her car.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Logan watched the memorial video through from start to finish. He smiled wistfully. It was much better now with Veronica's footage. He could just imagine Lilly smiling like a satisfied cat and giving him that wink that let him know he had done good.

He wondered if Veronica would like it too.

He was tinkering with some of the transitions when his phone rang with a number he didn't recognize.

"Logan Echolls," he answered.

"Logan, it's Keith Mars."

Logan sat up straight upon hearing the former Sheriff's voice.

"Mr. Mars? Is something wrong?"

There was a pause, and then Keith cleared his throat. "I thought about your question, and I've decided I think you're right. Can you come to the office?"

Logan's fist clenched involuntarily. "About Troy? What did you find out?"

"I'll explain in person."

Logan hesitated. "Mr. Mars, Veronica doesn't know-"

"She's not here, Logan. She's off somewhere with Wallace."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he said, already halfway out the door.

When he arrived, Keith sat him down and looked at him seriously. "I met Troy last night," he said, "and I agree with you. There's something a little too perfect about him."

"So will you look into his background?"

Keith smiled sheepishly. "Well, after you came in I wondered about it, and to test the waters, I made a few calls to local hotels."

Logan clenched his jaw, realizing what Keith wasn't telling him. _I'll kill him_, he thought. He didn't realize he had spoken out loud until he refocused on Keith and saw him looking amused.

"I wouldn't do that," said Keith. "Besides, I took care of it. I cancelled the reservations and am pretty sure he's scared straight at least through tonight. Thanks for the thought, though."

After a moment, Logan leaned forward. "I got the impression from your call that there was more."

Keith nodded, and slid a manila envelope across the desk to Logan. "I ran a search," he said. "Actually, I had someone else do it, and I haven't looked at it. I'm not going to. If you do, please keep in mind that whether and however you use that information, Veronica is likely to find out that you investigated Troy and is unlikely to be happy about it."

"Unlikely seems too weak of a word, don't you think? I was thinking guaranteed to taser my ass and sick Backup on my balls," said Logan with a smirk. Keith rolled his eyes, but didn't tell him to watch his language. Logan stood up.

"Before you go," said Keith, "one more thing. I'm not entirely comfortable with the ethical line I've drawn here. I don't plan to make a habit out of investigating Veronica's boyfriends, and you shouldn't either. As much as I hate to say it, she has a right to date and a right to some privacy about it. She _will_ start hiding things from me - and you - if she finds out about it."

"Understood," said Logan. "And thank you. How much do I owe you?"

Keith shook his head. "This one's on the house."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica laughed at Wallace and Troy's banter. The three of them, and Georgia, had been getting along just fine during the ride from Wallace's house, where they had all met, to the homecoming dance. She was even warming up to Georgia, finding her sweet, if not particularly witty. In any event, Wallace was glowing, and so she had to give the girl at least a little credit for that.

They had solved the case and he had gotten the girl. It was a good day for him, and she was happy to see him so happy. He was quickly becoming a close friend.

Troy put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled against him. He looked particularly cute that evening in his tux, but he was acting a little odd, almost nervous. When she had shown up to rescue him from her dad, things were clearly awkward between them, but afterward, Troy had laughed it off, saying everything was spiffy. She didn't have the time or the energy to press him for more information.

Looking out the window, she saw they were at the very same stretch of beach she and Lilly and Duncan and Logan had stopped at the year before. On impulse, she leaned over and asked the driver if they could stop for a minute. Troy had protested that they were supposed to go straight to the dance, and she rolled her eyes. He hadn't seemed so straightlaced before.

When the limo stopped, she opened the door and hopped out, but told the others they had to stay put. She took off her shoes and ran through the sand to the water's edge. It was dark, and a little chilly, but the water looked gentle. The waves rolled slowly ashore and ebbed back into the inky black, beckoning her.

She stood, hesitating, until she thought she heard a giggle, and a whispered "Do it!" in her ear. Smiling at having conjured up her best friend for reassurance, Veronica pulled down the zipper on her dress and let it pool at her feet, along with her underwear. She stepped out of the puddle of red satin and strode confidently into the surf, gasping at the cold.

Her gasps turned to laughter as she plunged in and out of the water. "I'm doing it, Lilly," she called out. "You were right. I'm definitely not yellow cotton."

After a few minutes she made her way back to shore. She had the zipper on her dress halfway up when she heard a voice behind her.

"Want me to help you get that?"

With a gasp, Veronica whirled around, clutching her dress to her front. Logan stood ten feet way, wearing a tux, a bottle of champagne in his right hand.

"Don't worry," he said. "I didn't look. I swear. As soon as I realized what you were going to do, I shut my eyes."

She narrowed her gaze at him. "Then how did you know I was out of the water?"

"I heard you," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're not a quiet girl, Veronica. Do you want me to zip up your dress?"

Silently, she turned her back to him. In a moment, she shivered as she felt his fingers brushing against her spine as he drew the zipper closed. She turned back around.

"Thanks," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting drunk," he said. "I'd ask you the same question, but...I get it." He glanced up at the road, where the limo was still parked, the doors closed. "Troy in there?"

"Yeah. Wallace and Georgia, too."

"Georgia is the twit with money to lose?"

Veronica smiled. "Yeah," she said. "But Wallace really likes her, so..." she shrugged and turned back to look out at the water.

They stood in silence a minute. Finally, Veronica spoke again.

"Logan, the memorial video was amazing. You did a great job. Lilly's somewhere laughing hysterically and proud of you."

He scuffed a shiny shoe in the sand, and then took a long drink from the bottle.

"You too," he said. "For having the videos and for your little nighttime swim."

"And Celeste," Veronica said, giggling. "Did you _see_ the look on her face?"

"I sure did," he said with a snort. After another drink, he was serious again. "Did _you_ see the look on Duncan's? Jake Kane's?"

"Yes," said Veronica softly.

"Did Jake look like he could have killed her, Veronica?" He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Do you honestly think that grief is fake?"

She pulled out of his grasp, stepped back. "I don't think it's fake, but that doesn't mean he's innocent. Maybe it was an accident and he covered it up." When Logan turned away and upended the champagne bottle into his mouth, she stepped closer again and put her hand on his arm. "Logan, I don't _know_ who killed Lilly. My _dad_ doesn't know who killed her. He _is_ sure Abel Koontz didn't do it. I don't know exactly why yet, but he would never be so sure without reasons."

Logan was silent. He dropped the now empty bottle of champagne on the sand and ran his hands through his hair.

"Did you know that no one ever claimed the $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Lilly's killer? That seems odd. An anonymous tip comes in about Koontz, no one claims the cash, and Lamb just happens to conveniently find shoes and a backpack on Koontz's boat. Why were they even there? He confessed so easily. It just doesn't smell right. My dad is good at knowing what doesn't smell right. And I'm sorry that my faith in him makes you hate me so-"

"You're right," said Logan. He didn't turn around.

"About what?" asked Veronica cautiously.

"Your dad is good at knowing what doesn't smell right."

"Oh."

Logan finally turned to face her. "That doesn't mean that Jake killed Lilly. It just means that maybe Koontz didn't. It still could have been anyone. It could have been me."

Veronica's eyes widened. "You were in Tijuana."

"Yeah," he said, looking down. "Well, it could have been _almost_ anyone, then."

The silence gaped between them. Veronica glanced back toward the limo, and when she looked back, Logan was watching her.

"You go ahead," he said. "Have fun. That's what homecoming is supposed to be, right?"

He turned and walked up the beach a ways, and she saw him bend down and pick something up. She heard the telltale pop of another bottle of champagne. Making a decision, she hurried toward him.

"Hey," she said. "Come with us."

He looked at her in surprise, the bottle halfway to his mouth. "Come with you where?"

"To the dance. It's supposed to be fun, remember?"

For a second, she thought she saw something - hope? happiness? - flash through his eyes. It was gone so fast she couldn't be sure. Then he smiled sadly and shook his head.

"Just because we called a truce, and just because this is a rough week, and we're all nostalgic and weepy, it doesn't mean we're friends, Veronica. You were right when you said that last week. We aren't friends anymore. We're not shopping for matching necklaces or exchanging friendship bracelets."

She nearly walked away, but something stopped her. "Maybe not. But you shouldn't be alone tonight, and neither should I."

He snorted. "You've got Troy."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it. Troy and Wallace and Georgia don't get it. No one does but you and I. Lilly's going to be so royally pissed at you for being an ass to me for so long. Don't make it worse by dishonoring her memory sitting here alone in the dark feeling sorry for yourself."

She put her hands on her hips, cocked an eyebrow at him. He stared back. Finally, he rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he said. "But let's get one thing straight. Come Monday morning, we're back to normal. No more of this wussy sharing our feelings stuff."

"Deal," she said. "Wait - normal as in you go back to being a psychotic jackass, or normal as in the truce?"

"The truce," he said. "But I'll probably be a jackass too." With a grin, he bent down and picked up a cooler full of champagne bottles. "Lead the way."

She shook her head at the volume of alcohol he had been intending to drink by himself, but turned and headed up the beach.

"By the way," she heard from behind her. "I like the dress."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N4: Told you it was a long one! The next update will be a little delayed...this is a busy week, and I'll be away the following week. I'll try to get a new chapter in before I go away, but please be patient, I promise I will keep going!


	4. Chapter 4: A Little Knowledge

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: We-e-ell. I know I've been doing one chapter per episode, but when I tried to pack "You Think You Know Somebody" into one chapter, it felt rushed. So I let it go of its own accord, and it is now two chapters. Here is part one. Part two (otherwise known as Chapter Five) is in progress. I may or may not be able to finish it before I go away. If not, it will be a little over a week before I show up here again. Thank you for your patience, and happy reading!

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Veronica starts dating Troy. Logan wonders why Duncan dumped Veronica. Logan follows Veronica to Arizona and confronts Lianne Mars' friend on his own, learning that Lianne was having an affair with a married man whose wife threatened Lianne and ran her out of Neptune. Logan doesn't trust Troy, and has Keith investigate his background. Veronica and Logan let their walls down and bond the week of homecoming, but agree to go back to just the truce after the week is over.

Chapter Four: A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing

Logan knew many things. He knew that his father was a raging asshole. and that his mother was addicted to pills and alcohol. He knew how to speak French, and some Spanish. He could recite poetry and Shakespeare, and recall whole passages from books he had read. He could late drop, and carve, and ride off the lip...occasionally. He knew that the 09ers of Neptune High looked to him to set the rules and enforce them.

What Logan didn't know was what to do with the nasty information he had received about Troy Vandergraff.

It could have been worse — and Logan really wished it had been — but what was there was enough to satisfy him that his instincts about the kid were right. Troy had been kicked out of not one but two schools in the northeast for drug possession and trafficking. While both incidents only involved pot, it was the trafficking piece that peaked Logan's interest.

He had dug around a little on his own and discovered that trafficking is different from simple distribution. Troy, and a girl named Shauna Watson, who apparently was his girlfriend and partner in crime at both schools, had been charged not with selling a few dime bags, but with moving hundreds of pounds of the stuff through their school in Boston and the surrounding area, a crime that carried with it much harsher penalties than a one or two-time sale. Troy was on probation, and Logan was willing to bet the Vandergraffs' sudden move to Neptune had something to do with getting Troy away from Shauna and his other "associates" back east.

So he knew that Troy had a morally spotty past. He also knew that Veronica would be unlikely to stay with him once she found out. The trouble was, if _Logan_ was the one to tell her about it, she would want to know how he knew, and was likely to be just as pissed at him for digging around behind her back as she would be at Troy for having actually done the deeds.

The answer was simple and yet not simple at the same time: he had to find a way for Veronica to learn about Troy on her own. Logan had thought and thought about it, but the only thing he could come up with was to provide Troy with the opportunity to get back into the drug business, West coast style, and hope he wasn't reformed.

It was with this goal in mind that Logan approached the kid at his locker on Thursday morning.

"Troy, my man," he said with a smirk, clapping Troy on the back.

Troy looked up and smirked back at Logan. "Hey there," he said. "What's up?"

"Luke and I are contemplating a trip down to Tijuana tomorrow night. I thought maybe you'd be down for the festivities. What do you say?"

Troy looked a little surprised, but covered quickly. "TJ, huh? I haven't been down there since last summer. I could do with a little excitement below the border."

"Yeah, I thought you might. Hey, listen," he said, leaning in and lowering his voice with an obvious glance around to see who might be close enough to hear, "Luke has a little...side project...he has to handle down there. He's out a car right now, so I said I'd take him, but I'd like an extra buffer along. Luke isn't known for being cool in a crisis, but you seem like nothing would ruffle your feathers. Just in case the border control asks us anything, I'd rather he be in the back seat, if you know what I mean."

Troy blinked at Logan as understanding dawned. "Sure, man," he said. "No problem. I'll even drive. My parents are out of town, we can take the Beemer."

Logan grinned. This was going even better than he had hoped. "I knew you were cool. Oh, but don't mention to Luke that you know anything. No reason to make him more skittish."

He held out his fist, and Troy bumped it with his own. Logan strolled away down the hall, whistling.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_I should have known. I should have known that dating an 09er guy — again — meant that I would have to put up with these Tijuana trips — again. I should have known that putting Troy and Logan in such close proximity could only have two possible outcomes: Troy would act more like Logan or Logan would act more like Troy. Why, oh why couldn't it have been the latter?_

"So that's tomorrow night?" asked Veronica, squinting at Troy. He was standing next to her table, and the sun was behind his head. "Can you sit down a second, I can barely see you."

"Sorry." He perched on the bench, leaned in to give her a kiss. "Yeah, tomorrow. Logan and Luke are headed down, and they asked me. That's not a problem, is it?"

"No. Why would it be a problem?" Veronica smiled, playing the part of the devil-may-care, totally-cool-with-it girlfriend. The trouble was, she _knew_ Logan. Logan and TJ brought about all kinds of images she wished she wouldn't have to associate with her boyfriend. To make her words more convincing, she leaned in to Troy and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "As long as you reserve Saturday night for me."

"It's yours," said Troy. "Hey, my parents are going out of town tomorrow. They'll be gone through most of next week. How about Saturday night we plan to hang out at my place?"

Veronica tried to stop herself from squirming, and kept the smile on her face. "We'll see," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Let's see how good you are on Friday before I make any promises."

"Minx," said Troy. He tapped her nose and stood up. "I've got to run, I have a couple of things to do. I'll call you later?"

She smiled, and he strolled back towards the school.

Veronica frowned at her macaroni and cheese. She couldn't help but think that Logan inviting Troy to Tijuana didn't make any sense. The two boys didn't enjoy each other's company. That had been clear last Saturday in the limo on the way to the homecoming dance.

_When they reached the car, she opened the door, poked her head inside._

_"Hey guys. I'm back," she said with a grin._

_"Why is your hair wet?" asked Wallace._

_Instead of answering, she crawled inside and took her place next to Troy on the side bench._

_"Come on in," she called, and Logan climbed in, pushing the cooler of champagne in front of him._

_"Good evening, all," he said with a smirk._

_The other three gaped at him, and then turned to Veronica in unison. She shrugged._

_"Look what I found," she said. "And it has refreshments."_

_Logan was digging into the storage area of the limo. He unearthed four champagne flutes and proceeded to fill them all with the sweet, bubbly liquid. Once everyone had a glass, and he had his bottle, he sat down on the side bench on Veronica's other side._

_There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and then he raised his bottle. "To chance encounters on moonlit nights." He took a long drink._

_"Logan was all dressed up with nowhere to go," she explained, not knowing what else to say. How could she tell them that she stopped to skinny-dip in memory of her dead best friend, who was Logan's dead girlfriend, and that he was also there, getting drunk in her memory? There was no way to explain any of that in a way that made sense, and besides, it was private._

_Troy put his arm around her and tightened his grip. He moved a piece of her wet hair off of her cheek with his free hand and placed his lips there. When he pulled back, he narrowed his eyes. "Why is your hair _salty_?" he whispered in her ear._

_It was all she could do not to burst out laughing, especially when Logan, who had clearly heard the question, leaned over and whispered to Troy, "Because it doesn't come off as easily as the dress."_

_This earned both of them a glare from Troy. She put her left hand on his knee, and her right hand on Logan's, and shook her head sternly at them. "Now now, boys," she said, "play nice. Logan, behave yourself. Troy, stop thinking what you're thinking because it isn't true."_

_She kissed Troy thoroughly, and he relaxed. When she looked at Logan, she saw that his gaze was locked on her hand, which was still on his knee. She removed it quickly, and he raised his eyes to hers. Whatever was on his face was gone in an instant and replaced by his trademark smirk._

_"Should we play a game?" asked Georgia, oblivious to the tension in the limo._

_"You must be Georgia," Logan said. "You're as lovely as Wallace said you were."_

_Georgia blushed and beamed at Wallace, who turned to Logan. "Georgia, this is Logan, who has to be the just about the coolest guy at Neptune High." he said with a grin._

_"I think a game is a great idea," said Logan. "How about 'I Never'? I'll start. I Never picked the lock to the teacher's lounge and filled the sugar tin with salt."_

_Veronica burst out laughing, and then raised her glass and took a sip. Wallace grinned at her, Troy raised his eyebrows, and Georgia looked shocked._

_"My turn," Veronica said. "I Never pretended to be blind in order to get free cookie samples from a gullible girl scout."_

_Logan nodded his approval, and took a drink._

_"Wait a minute, were you guys in a wacky sitcom as kids, or is this real life?" Wallace laughed._

_Troy spoke up. "I Never went to a homecoming dance before." No one raised their glass. He looked at Veronica in confusion. "I thought Duncan told me you guys went together last year."_

_"Ah, they 'went together,' but we didn't actually make it to the dance," said Logan. "It went Kane's foyer, limo, beach, limo, diner, limo, home to enraged parents and the local Sheriff."_

_"Who was also an enraged parent," said Veronica. "How long were we all grounded?"_

_"Not long enough, apparently, since it didn't make us learn the error of our ways." Logan reached into the cooler and popped another bottle of champagne as if to prove his point. He shot a glance at Troy. "I Never got kicked out of school."_

_Wallace took a drink, and Veronica's mouth dropped open. "Explain yourself, immediately," she said._

_Wallace shrugged. "I was seven. The teacher said I was 'incorrigible' because I refused to write essays on anything but basketball, read books about anything but basketball, or play any sport but basketball. I didn't get kicked out so much as my parents were encouraged to look elsewhere for my education."_

_Veronica rolled her eyes. "Wallace, you go."_

_"I Never...went skinny-dipping."_

_Crap, she thought. She glanced at Logan, and he tipped his bottle to her glass and drank. After a moment, she did the same._

_"Veronica —" Troy started, and she was quick to interrupt him._

_"Not at the same time," she said. "Two separate occasions. Really."_

_"Okay," he said. "I Never peeked at Veronica while she was skinny-dipping." He glared at Logan._

_Logan didn't move his bottle, he just raised an eyebrow. Then, his gaze not leaving Troy, he said, "I Never got arrested for anything."_

_Veronica looked between the two boys, wondering what they were up to. Their eyes were locked in an intense battle, and she could see that Troy's jaw was clenching and unclenching. Desperate to lighten the mood, she said, "I Never got hit in the stomach with a soccer ball and then puked all over the girl from the other team." She drank deeply._

_The rest of the limo erupted into laughter._

After that, Logan became almost too accommodating of Troy, bending over backward to ingratiate himself with her boyfriend. To the others, he probably seemed sincere, but Veronica could tell it was an act. Now, she wondered what Logan's real plan was for this Tijuana trip. There had to be something else going on, she just didn't know what.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

"Can I ask you something?"

Logan opened one eye and peered at Troy, who was in the driver's seat of his dad's Beemer. They were still in Tijuana, but were ready to head home. They were just waiting for Luke to get back from running his "errand." Logan had been pretending to be three sheets to the wind for most of the evening, figuring Troy might let down his defenses if he thought Logan wouldn't remember it. He had initially offered to be the designated driver in the hopes of getting Troy wasted, but Troy insisted he was the only one who could drive the car.

Now, Logan faked another dry heave, and then said, "Yeah, what?"

"Do you have a problem with me or something?"

"What do you mean, dude? I invited you here, didn't I?" Logan slurred his words a little for effect.

"Yeah. But I get the impression you don't trust me. And that it has something to do with Veronica. You guys have some kind of history I need to know about?"

Logan considered how to answer that. Finally he said, "We have history, but not the kind you're thinking. I've never journeyed to Veronica-land. Veronica was Duncan's, that's all. He says he's cool, though, and if he's cool, so'm I." After a second, he said, "so what about you? You and Veronica have a 'history' yet?"

Troy smirked. "It's a process. I think those rumors about her were exaggerated. But with the 'rents away, Troy will play. She's coming over tomorrow, and I think I'm going to make her an offer she can't refuse."

Logan's eyes snapped open. Luckily for him, before he could react to Troy's words – or ask himself why the thought of Troy and Veronica together in that way pissed him off – the back door of the Beemer opened and Luke climbed inside, pushing a beat-up piñata onto the seat next to him. A short while later, they had successfully made it past border control and had grabbed a bite at the Border Grille and Diner. Logan briefly considered doing something to tip off the guards at the border that Luke's piñata was full of steroids, in the hopes that Troy would get busted because it was his car, but he didn't want to risk getting arrested too.

When they walked out of the diner, Troy's dad's car was gone. Logan looked around in confusion. Had he arranged for this? He was pretty sure he hadn't, but man, that would have been a great idea. Luke started freaking out without saying exactly why, because he didn't know that Troy knew about the drugs. Troy started freaking out and saying something about being sent to Albuquerque. Logan patted himself on the back for setting up the trip. This may not have been his doing, but someone was smiling down on him.

When Veronica pulled up in the LeBaron to rescue them, she grinned. "Dude, where's your car?" she asked, then immediately apologized for making the joke when she saw Troy's expression.

The boys moved towards the car, and she glanced at Logan. "You're monkey's gonna have to ride in the back."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Ha ha. Nice car. Man, it must have been a _huge_ cereal box."

One side of her mouth turned up. She opened her mouth to reply, but Troy put his hand on her arm. "Now, let's let that go."

Logan pouted. He wanted to hear what her comeback would be.

The entire trip back to Neptune, Troy moaned about how his dad loved that car, and he wasn't supposed to have driven it at all, and he was going to be shipped off to some Catholic school far away as soon as his dad got back home. Logan resisted the urge to punch the kid in the back of the head just to get him to shut up.

Finally, as the sun was coming up and they were pulling into town, Logan had an idea. If Veronica got involved in finding the drugs or the car, she might just dig into Troy's life enough to learn about his past. And if he could "help" her, all the better. He said, "I have an idea. Why don't we let Trixie Belden see if she can find the car."

Troy turned around in his seat. "Who?"

"Trixie Belden. Spunky girl detective circa 1950s and 60s. Co-President of the Bob-Whites of the Glen. But in this case, I was referring to your girlfriend here, who is nosy and sneaky and makes everyone's business her business whether they like it or not."

Now it was Veronica who turned around, but she turned back to the road quickly. "I can't decide whether to be impressed or disturbed by your knowledge of 1950s girl's novels, so I'll just be affronted by your description of me. And yet, it's a good idea."

"It is?" Troy looked uncertain. "I appreciate it, but I think this is beyond even your super powers."

Veronica shook her head. "Haven't you heard? I've got friends in low places."

"Look," said Troy, "I can't report the car stolen 'cause my dad thinks it's still safely tucked in the garage. Which means I can't get the anti-theft homing device activated. It's probably on a cargo ship to Jamaica. You know, my dad is going to send me away, he's going to track me down and he's going to kill me."

"Not if he doesn't find out," said Veronica.

She pulled the car up to the curb in front of Luke's house, where Logan's XTerra was parked across the street. Logan and Luke climbed out of the back. Logan agreed to let Luke crash at his place so he didn't have to wake his parents up. As he got into the car, he heard Veronica and Troy still talking.

"Let's go back to your house," Veronica was saying.

"And take my mind off my problems?" asked Troy hopefully. Logan yanked the XTerra's door open with more force than necessary, but relaxed when her heard her exasperated response.

"And get the details on the car."

Logan started the engine and drove off just as Luke launched into his own moaning fit about losing the steroids. It was going to be a long week.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Later that morning, Veronica was at the office, getting ready to do some poking around online to see if she could find any information on the car. Wallace carried two cups of coffee over to the desk. As he set hers down, he looked over her shoulder at the computer screen.

"You're going to find Troy's stolen car over the internet?" he asked dubiously, sitting in the chair across the desk.

"You'd be surprised what you can find with a few nimble keystrokes," she told him. She explained about the search engines that were available to licensed private investigators.

"So you can just look someone up and find out...things?" He looked a little disturbed by this.

"Sure can. Give me a name, and I'll dig up the dirt."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Logan Echolls."

She snorted. "Really? That's who you want to know about? I can tell you everything you need to know, Wallace, no need to waste your search. But if we must..." She tapped a few keys. "Okay, here we are, Logan laid bare...yuck, let's pretend I didn't say that. Ooh, a subscription to Hustler. Classy. Also to the New Yorker and the Economist."

"Logan reads the Economist?"

She smiled vaguely. "He's a bit of a closet genius. Don't tell anyone, he'll have to kill you. Hm. What's this?" She frowned at the screen.

Wallace came back around the desk and peered over Veronica's shoulder. "Dude was born in Neptune? I thought you said he moved here when he was twelve. Mother, Lynn Lester. Hey, what does 'Father: Sealed' mean?"

Veronica drew a shaky breath. "I'm pretty sure that means that Logan's father gave up his parental rights and didn't want his identity to be revealed."

Wallace frowned. "Come again?"

"It means that Aaron Echolls isn't Logan's real father."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan reached out and shook Luke's shoulder.

"Get up," he said. When Luke just grunted, Logan shook harder. "Dude. Get up. Come on."

Luke opened one eye. Then he took his pillow and crammed it over his head with a moan. Logan sighed.

"You really want to make this difficult? Because I can do that." Logan crossed the poolhouse bedroom and entered the main room. He found an ice bucket at the bar, filled it with water, and returned to the bedroom. "You have exactly four seconds to wake up before I empty this bucket on your head. One. Two. Three."

Logan paused, but Luke didn't move. With a shake of his head, Logan ripped the pillow away, and tipped the bucket. "Four," he said, stepping back as Luke screamed and shot to his feet.

"Jesus Christ, man," shouted Luke.

"Come on. I have to go see a man about a horse, and you have to get your ass home before your mom sends a convoy after you. She's called here three times."

He walked out of the poolhouse and headed around the main house to the driveway. He heard Luke shuffling his feet as he followed behind.

"I am so dead," he muttered.

"Will you quit your whining? Veronica Mars is on the case," he said with faux enthusiasm. "Sure as you can say whodunit, she'll find out who did it."

"You think?" Luke sounded a little hopeful.

They reached the driveway, and Logan threw a comment over his shoulder. "Of course, if you wanted to increase her attention, you could hire her too, to find the drugs."

"Would she do that?"

"I don't know, she's looking for the car anyhow. You should ask."

He climbed into the driver's seat of the XTerra, watching Luke's thoughtful expression with a smile. Veronica searching for the car and maybe digging into Troy's past? Check. Veronica finding out about the drugs? Imminent. Chances that she'll be suspicious that Troy was involved with the transport? Still needed work, but if luck continued to go his way, it was almost guaranteed.

A half hour later, Logan wrinkled his nose at the smell of motor oil and gasoline. He leaned against the passenger door of the XTerra and sneered at the boy coming towards him across the motor yard.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked Weevil as he wiped his hands on a rag. "I thought you rich boy types only took your precious wheels to the dealer for service."

"I'm not here for service," Logan said. "You think I'd actually let you touch my car? Dream on."

Weevil chuckled, and Logan smirked at him. He couldn't stand the guy, but he kind of admired his style, and had not a small amount of respect for the way Weevil handled his crew and kept them under control.

"So what brings you to the slums on this fine autumn day?" Weevil asked.

"Concern for a mutual friend," said Logan.

"We have a mutual friend? Color me doubtful."

"Veronica Mars."

Weevil raised an eyebrow. "Would you call Veronica Mars your friend? Seems every time I see you two, she's this close to punching you in the face. Which is something I'd pay to see, by the way."

"Maybe _friend_ is too generous of a word. But let's talk about her boy toy, Troy Vandergraff. I don't like him. I'd like you to help me destroy him."

"What's in it for me?" asked Weevil. "You think I'm gonna help you out of the goodness of my heart, you should get your IQ tested."

"That's why I mentioned Veronica. You don't care if she's threatened?"

As Logan suspected, this got Weevil's attention. He narrowed his eyes at Logan. "Is V in trouble?"

Logan explained, briefly, about the arrests and expulsions, the girlfriend, Tijuana and the missing car with the drugs inside. When he was done, Weevil considered him carefully.

"What's in it for you?" Weevil tucked the rag in his back pocket and folded his arms across his chest. "I don't believe in the goodness of your heart, neither."

"Oh, you know," said Logan with a smirk, "getting rid of Vandergraff. He keeps getting in my way. He doesn't fall into line. He needs to be taught a lesson. He bugs me. And it's been a slow week, I'm bored. Is that enough reasons for you?"

"For now," said Weevil. "What did you have in mind?"

"Troy offered up his dad's car for the drive so fast I got whiplash. Now it and the drugs are gone. If the drugs had just disappeared, one of us would have had to have taken them. Since the car was stolen, the blame is off of us…especially Troy, because why would he put himself in a position of being shipped off just to score a smallish package of steroids?"

"So you're thinking Troy stole the car himself, took the drugs, and the car will magically resurface in a couple of days, in time to save him from his pop's wrath, but without the drugs inside?"

Logan shrugged. "It's a theory."

"And you want me to do what?"

"Steal the car for real. Once I find it, that is. I figure it's got to be down near that diner, hidden somewhere. I thought I'd drive down and scope it out."

Weevil stared at him, then burst out laughing.

"Not bad, Echolls, not bad at all. One problem: I think I saw that car, and I think it was actually stolen."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_Okay Mom, please don't take this the wrong way. I'm only killing you off temporarily. It's not like you're around to tell me you're alive, anyhow._

On Monday, after classes ended, Veronica sat in the journalism classroom making a fake death certificate for Lianne Mars. She felt pangs of guilt for doing it, but reassured herself that it was all in the name of finding the truth, and finding the truth was always better than _not_ finding it, right?

On Saturday, reeling from the revelation that Logan was not Aaron Echolls' biological son – and after making Wallace swear on his future NBA career that he wouldn't breath a word of it to anyone – she had come home to change for her date with Troy. When she arrived home she was greeted by Backup and a message on the answering machine from the guidance counselor Ms. James about an apparent date she had with Keith Mars that evening.

Veronica wanted her Dad to be happy, but…gross. The thought of it distracted her throughout her date with Troy – which was probably a good thing, because she wasn't ready to sleep with him and she didn't understand how he could focus on that with the specter of being sent away hovering over his head. To make things even better, being with his new girlfriend prompted Keith to clean out some of Lianne's things. When going through a box, Veronica found a safety deposit box key.

She didn't even consider letting that one lie. She had to get into that box. The problem was, they didn't let just anyone in to open a safety deposit box these days. Thus, the fake death certificate.

As she was putting the finishing touches on it, Luke ran into the room and hovered over her, breathing heavily.

"Hey," he said. "You're helping Troy find his dad's car, right?"

Veronica shrank away from him. "You're sweating on me."

"Look, I need your help. There's kind of more to this car thing than the car. There was a piñata full of steroids in the back seat. I did a run for Hank Zigman. He owns the Zig Zag Sports Club. I wanted to get pumped for Varsity baseball. I was…pretty much down for whatever." Luke ran his hand through his hair and looked around wildly.

"Including shrunken testicles and acne scars. Well, speaking for the women of America – good plan." She turned back to the computer, narrowed her eyes. "Wait," she said. "What did Troy and Logan know about this?"

"Nothing. I swear."

She gave him a look, and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, all right," he relented. "Logan knew, but he wasn't… in on anything."

Veronica sighed. Of course Logan knew. She had to stop being disappointed when she found out about the less admirable parts of his character these days. She _knew_ he had turned into a first class jackass. He had always danced with trouble, and with Duncan – or her – no longer paying enough attention to keep him out of it, it shouldn't shock her that he was complicit in a drug-dealing scheme. At least Troy wasn't involved.

She told Luke she didn't help dealers find their lost product, but after he begged her some more, she agreed on the condition that he return the drugs and give back the money. He was so grateful she said yes that he just nodded his head up and down over and over, stuttering his thanks.

The death certificate done, she headed for her car. In the parking lot, she passed by Logan, who was leaning up against the XTerra, holding court for a gaggle of 09er Barbies. He looked up as she hurried by, and their eyes met briefly. She looked away first. She didn't understand what their relationship was these days, and not knowing what to expect from Logan Echolls was unsettling. She also wasn't sure if or how she was going to tell him what she had learned about his father, and until she figured that out, it was best to steer clear.

She slid into the driver's seat of her car and turned the key. Nothing happened.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," she said. She tried again. Utter silence, not even the whine. Was the battery dead? She glanced at her watch, then pulled out her phone.

"Weevil," she said, when he picked up. "My car is on the fritz again, I think it's a battery. You think you could have a look?"

"You at school?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Me too. Hang on."

A few minutes later, he strolled around the corner, rested his forearms on the roof and peered in the window.

"Try the key again."

She did, and he nodded. "I'll check it out. Hey, I have something I thought you might be interested in."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Word is, you're lookin' for a green Beemer, might have been stolen?"

"It was stolen," she said. "From a diner just north of the border. But it belongs to a Neptune resident. Why, you heard something?"

"Might have seen it," he said. "Might have come through the garage for a...scrubbing."

Veronica's mouth dropped open. So far, she had come up with a big fat zero on the case. Earl at the impound lot hadn't seen it. She hadn't managed to get the security company to turn on the system so she could track the car, and she wasn't sure what her next step would be.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find out if it's the same car."

"You underestimate me. See how I'm wounded?" He gave her a hurt puppy dog face. "I already checked. If I did see it, someone paid to have it stolen, scrubbed, and re-papered. It's long gone, I don't know who the 'client' was, and I'm never going to be able to find out."

Veronica frowned, thinking hard. She supposed there was a chance it was a different green BMW. A smallish one. "Any chance you 'might' have seen a piñata full of steroids in the back seat?"

Weevil raised his eyebrows. "Interesting boyfriend you have there, V."

"The drugs weren't his. Just the car."

"If you say so. I 'might' have seen a piñata, and I 'might' have seen one of the guys take it for his daughter's birthday. I also 'might' have followed that lead, but if I did, the guy swears it was empty."

Veronica sighed. That made no sense. Of course, anyone in the chain of theft could have taken the drugs and left the piñata. She gave Weevil a vague smile. "You done good. Thanks. I don't know where this leaves me, or Troy, or…other people, but I guess it's something."

"You're welcome," Weevil said. He pushed away from the car. "Leave the car, I'll come back to look at it in an hour or so. If I can't fix it, I'll tow it to the garage, let you know. I'd offer a ride, but I've got a...thing. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks, Weevil. Don't let your...thing get you into too much trouble."

He winked and strode away.

She gathered her things and got out of the car. Wallace had to babysit Darryl and didn't have his mom's car anyway. She couldn't ask her dad, because he would have questions she didn't want to answer about why she was going to a bank she didn't belong to. That left...damn it.

Veronica briefly considered leaving the bank for another day. Briefly. Then she sighed and crossed the parking lot.

Logan seemed to be waiting for her. When she approached, he smirked.

"Well, hello there, Sugarpuss," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "You busy?"

He looked around at the girls, who were all staring at her. Madison Sinclair, in particular, was shooting her daggers.

"Not in the least," he said.

"Can you give me a ride and not ask too many questions?" she asked.

"Something wrong with your rust bucket? Hm, it must be Tuesday. Or Thursday. Or-"

"Look, if you don't have time, just say so. Save your wit for someone who needs it."

Without a word, he opened the passenger door, and waved her inside. She climbed in, and moments later he was in the driver's seat, the engine running.

"Let's give them a minute to clear the area," he said. "Wouldn't want to run anyone down."

"Not even Madison?" she asked.

"Well, maybe. But even Madison has her uses." He slouched back in the seat, looked at her curiously. "Where to? Is this about Troy's car?"

"Not exactly," she hedged. "First Federal Union Bank. On Sunset," she said.

"As you wish." He put the car in gear and pulled out of the lot. "So if this isn't 'exactly' about Troy's car, what is it about?"

"Remember what I said about not asking too many questions?"

"That's one question."

"One is too many."

They rode in silence for a few minutes. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then back at the road, then again. She repeated this process through several blocks. Finally, he stopped at a light and turned to her.

"You have that look."

"What look?" she asked.

"The one that says you're going to start asking a million questions about things that are none of your business."

She folded her arms across her chest. "There is no such look."

"Whatever you say, darling."

The light turned green, and he returned his attention to the road.

"So..." she said.

He smirked.

"I don't have a question, so much as I want to hear more about the steroids you bought in TJ last weekend."

He glanced at her with a grin. "You mean the steroids that Luke bought."

"So you knew about them."

"You would be surprised at the sheer number of things I know about. Go on, Nancy Drew, dig deeper. You know what you really want to ask."

She bit her lip. "Did you help Luke buy the steroids? Set him up with the dealer?"

He clutched a hand to his chest. "Oh, you wound me so. I, my dear, am no lowly drug dealer, or drug...pimp, or whatever. Luke needed a ride, so I said I'd go. That is the extent of my involvement."

"And instead of using your car, you duped Troy into driving his dad's car. Was it a set up, then? Did you arrange to have the car stolen? I know you don't like him."

He laughed. "You could tell? And I thought I hid it so well." He shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Seriously, though, I didn't dupe anyone. I _invited_ Troy. He volunteered to drive his dad's car. I didn't have a thing to do with that."

"Why would you invite him if you don't like him?"

"So I could sell him into slavery? I don't know, Veronica, maybe because he's friends with Duncan and he's dating you? Seems like someone I should at least try to accommodate."

She kept her mouth from dropping open, but just barely.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Okay, so he had let that slip.

He should have stopped at the Duncan thing, she might have bought that. He shot her a cautious glance, since she hadn't responded. She was looking at him oddly, like he was about to turn purple and blow up like a blueberry.

It was bad enough that he was even feeling that kind of sentiment...that things going on in Veronica's life were once more his concern, and not just because they gave him ammunition to use against her. He'd be okay with it, if Duncan wasn't so firmly against hanging out with her. And if he could get a read on what she was thinking about him.

She hadn't seemed to react to the fact that he had kissed her — other than to respond _during_ it, that is, in a way that seemed a little too real. When he planted his mouth on hers he was looking for a distraction, nothing more, and then suddenly more was all it was. Soft and strong and all in. It hadn't lasted more than a few seconds, but those few seconds were hard to forget. Then she had just dismissed it, as if it hadn't happened.

That was probably for the best. He couldn't want to kiss _Veronica_, of all people. She was Duncan's, whether Duncan admitted it or not. He had meant it when he said that to Troy.

Now, he decided to steer the conversation in another direction. "You haven't asked me the question I know is on your mind," he said. "Come on now, don't be a girl about it."

"I'm not sure I want to know the answer," she said.

He snorted. "You always want to know the answer."

She sighed. "Fine. Did he know about them?"

"Yes. Troy knew about the steroids. Before the weekend, and before he offered his dad's car."

He expected to feel elated that he had told her, that Troy would drop in her estimation at least another notch, but when he looked at her, all he felt was _de_flated. She had shifted so that she was pressed against the passenger door, her arms wrapped around herself, and she was looking out the window.

He pulled the SUV into the parking lot of the bank. "Here we are," he said. "You need me to wait for you, I assume?"

"Yes, thanks," she said, and pushed the door open. He watched as she ran across the parking lot and into the bank, her short hair bouncing behind her, her messenger bag thumping against her side.

Fifteen minutes later, she came back. She didn't say a word as she climbed into the car and buckled her seatbelt. She continued to stare out the window, her face closed down and expressionless.

Instead of starting the car, he said, "All done?"

She nodded.

"Care to share what's going on?"

She shook her head.

"All right then. Where to?"

"School. Weevil called, he got the car running."

He turned the key in the ignition, shifted into drive, and pulled out of the lot, then spoke again.

"Want to ask me more about TJ?"

She was quiet, and then turned to him. "Okay. Do you know when Luke brought the drugs into the car?"

"Right before we headed for the border."

"Then what happened?"

The tense look on her face had eased some from when she first came out of the bank. So he told her about the border crossing, and stopping at the diner.

"So you guys were all together the whole time?"

"Yeah. Well, we each used the john in the diner, separately, but that's it."

After that, she was quiet for a while. Then she turned to him.

"You _swear_ to me that you have no idea where the drugs went, and that you didn't arrange to have Troy's car stolen?"

He clenched his jaw. "I swear." He glanced at her again. "Do you believe me?"

She looked at him intently. "Yes," she said. Then she threw her hands up in the air. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"Why don't you lay it out for me? Maybe I can help."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You want to help find Troy's car? Wouldn't you prefer it if he got sent away?"

"Yes." He shrugged at her expression. "Hey, I'm trying this new thing with you. It's called honesty." He tried not to flinch when he thought about all of the things he wasn't telling her. "But Luke lost his drugs, and I don't really want to see him beaten to death by a souped up personal trainer."

"Problem number one," she said. "We find the car, we won't find the drugs. Weevil told me that a green BMW with a piñata in the back seat came through his uncle's shop. It is now long gone without the VIN number and with new plates and papers. One of the guys took the piñata, and swears it was empty. Assuming he's not full of shit – which is a pretty big assumption – someone took the drugs sometime either before it was stolen or before it made it to Weevil's uncle's shop."

"So, basically," said Logan, "if the drugs were taken before it was stolen, it was one of us, and if they were taken after, they too are long gone."

"That's about the all of it."

Logan decided to push her a little further. "Think about this. If the drugs disappeared before the car was stolen, and I didn't take them, and Luke clearly didn't take them or else he wouldn't be shitting his pants so much, then that leaves one suspect."

"Which is why it doesn't make sense. Why would _Troy_ take them?"

"Why did Luke have them?"

She shook her head. "Not possible. What would Troy know about selling steroids?"

"Maybe plenty. How much do you know about the guy, really? Where did he go to school before this? Why does his family move around so much? Come on, you're a curious soul. You haven't run a background check on him?"

Veronica froze. Shit, Logan thought, wondering if he had said too much. Could she tell he had run a check? When he peeked at her, he thought she looked almost…guilty.

"It doesn't matter anyway. He won't be around much longer. I think the car is a lost cause," she said, shaking her head. "I can't think of anything else to try."

"Hasta luego Señor Vandergraff. Shall we throw a going away party?"

"Can you not be a jackass for one second? Can't you see that I'm upset about this?"

Logan gripped the steering wheel. "You know me," he said, gritting his teeth. "Jackass is my default mode."

She snorted. "Oh, I do know. What I don't know is why I keep letting myself forget that little fact. I must hate myself as much as you hate me."

"I don't hate you."

"Could have fooled me."

Logan hit the gas a little too hard, then eased up, trying to get control of his emotions. "Do _you_ hate _me_?"

She looked at him like he had grown a second head. "I _have_ hated you." she said. "Just this second, I'm mainly annoyed with you. I haven't been angry with you in a while, but that could change, so, you know, aim high."

"What the hell happened in the bank? Are you picking a fight? I like a good fight, but I also like there to be a reason for a fight, so if you could maybe explain why you're baiting me-"

She laughed. "You want reasons? Let me see...oh, right. So I had to dip into my college fund to get my headlights repaired, and it's not a big college fund to begin with. But that was no big deal, really, in comparison to the total amount of money I have had to waste on new tires in the last year, because mine _mysteriously_ get slashed several times a week. Do you have any idea how much it costs to replace tires that often? No, you wouldn't, because you don't have to worry about paying for anything."

He frowned. He had never really thought about the financial ramifications of his pranks. He hadn't really thought about her financial situation at all, but after seeing her apartment, maybe he should have.

"Veronica-"

"I couldn't ask my Dad for money, because then I'd have to tell him how bad things really were for me, and that would make him feel even more guilty than he already does, knowing that his choices led to our loss of income and status, and made Mom run away."

_Shit_. He had been thinking about whether and how to tell her about what he had learned from Lianne's friend in Arizona. Now didn't really seem like the time, but he decided right then that he did have to tell her. She couldn't keep thinking it was because of Keith Mars' actions, at least not entirely. She was still talking, her voice rising an octave.

"Thankfully, when my clothes get stuffed in the toilet, I don't have to replace them, I just have to wash them. That only costs me my pride, but really, what's the value of that these days?"

He tried to interrupt her again. He knew he had been an ass for the last year, but he was trying to fix that. Couldn't she just let it go?

"Veronica-"

She didn't stop. "The graffiti on my locker is mostly just a pain because I have to keep scrubbing it off. But I've developed muscles I never had before, so you know, there's that. Do you want to know what my favorite part is, though?" She glared at him. "Do you want to know, Logan?"

"What?" He couldn't keep the edge of panic out of his voice. There was a path here, and they were going down it, and he didn't like the look of it. It was filled with land mines and thorns, but he didn't know how to reverse direction.

"My favorite part is that one of my best friends, who _knew_ me, decided it would be funny to just start making up stories about me. Really nasty, hurtful lies that, if they ever got back to my father, would make me want to move to Alaska, change my name, and file off my fingerprints. Especially the ones that are too close to the truth for comfort."

His eyes snapped to her face at that. "What is too close to the truth?" he asked.

She shook her head. Her lips curled downwards, as if she had eaten something bitter. "No. That's not for you to know. Take me back to school, Logan."

He was reminded, suddenly, of the ride back from Gold Coast. He had taken things a step too far, and she had shut down the tentative lines of communication, the first steps toward the truce. He hadn't let her do that then, and he wasn't going to let her do that now.

"Do I get to say anything?" he asked.

"No. You've said quite enough, thank you."

He could see that she wasn't going to budge, just yet. He put the car in gear and pulled out of the lot. She just stared out the window, her face once again blank.

Finally, he sighed. "I thought we had a truce."

"I don't know what that means!" She threw her hands up in the air. "You keep saying that, like it's some defined thing, but I don't know what to expect from you. I don't know whether the next words out of your mouth are going to be mean and nasty and full of acid, or if you're going to do something nice that makes me think we could be friends again. I can't keep going around in circles."

"It means I'm sorry," he said. "You know I'm sorry about all that stuff. The tires, and the graffiti, and the rumors. And everyone else following my lead. You know that, right?" As he said it, he realized it was true. He _was_ sorry.

"How would I know?"

He pulled into the school parking lot, eased to a stop by her car.

"Because I'm telling you." He looked at her then, willing her to see the sincerity in his eyes. She stared back.

"I don't know if that's enough," she said, sounded tired.

"Are you throwing in the towel, then?" he asked, gritting his teeth. "Is it easier to just go back to hating each other?"

She shook her head.

"Then...we're...whatever?"

She sighed. "Yeah. We're whatever. I can't talk about this right now. Thanks for the ride," she mumbled without meeting his eye, then she jumped out of the SUV, into the LeBaron, and sped away.

He sat in his car for a minute, thinking about everything that had just happened between them. She had really laid it out there, all the crap he had put her through, and for the first time he allowed himself to think about it. For so long, he had let what he thought of as her betrayal — and a need to blame _some_one for what he was feeling — keep him from considering the consequences. Now, she had forced him to see them. He really was a jackass.

His phone buzzed, and he picked it up, listened to Enbom ramble about a party the next night.

"Yeah," he said. "I could use a good raging drunk."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next night, Veronica paced her bedroom. Things kept getting better and better. The day before, she had pissed off her Dad by blowing off a dinner Ms. James had cooked for them, with no real excuse, and he could see right through it. When she got home that night he was out, and he didn't show up until almost sunrise, which she knew because she stayed up late to execute her latest attempt at contacting her mother, sending out untraceable cell phones to any of Lianne's family and friends she could find an address for.

_Let's leave aside for the moment that she was keeping photos of me, framed in gunsights, in her safety deposit box. I can't even begin to know what that means._

She also wasn't getting anywhere finding Troy's dad's car, still. There was only one thing left to do – trace it through the security system – and she had already failed at that once. She asked her Dad for help and he reluctantly agreed on the condition she start being nicer to Ms. James.

On top of all of that, Logan's comment about the background check was nagging at her. She hadn't done one on Troy, but now she was thinking about it. In order to avoid thinking about it, she had done something she probably shouldn't have done at all, and run a check on Ms. James.

To say her Dad was pissed when she gave it to him, pointing out that Ms. James was still married and had an arrest on her record, would be putting it lightly. She didn't fight with her Dad – really fight – often, and her stomach was in knots over it. She had called him out on the fact that he wasn't looking for her mother, and he had actually said that he didn't want to find her.

Then, he had given her the security code to the BMW and told her he had managed to get the company to turn the system on, which just made her feel worse for upsetting him.

And it hadn't even mattered, because when she and Troy traced the damned thing, someone had taken it out of the car and put it on a dog's collar…which would have been funny if it didn't mean that Troy was a goner. There was nothing else to do about the car, or the drugs. They were both gone.

She had failed.

Her phone rang, startling her out of her daydream. She reached for it and frowned at the name on the display. What did Duncan want? He hadn't called her in over a year. After the third ring, and an argument with herself about letting it go to voice mail, she answered the call.

"Hello?" Let him think she didn't have his phone number stored anymore.

"Veronica? It's Duncan."

She could hear noises in the background, like cars driving by at high speeds. And something else...a male voice shouting something, but she couldn't make out the words.

"Yeah, it's me. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing terrible," he said quickly. She understood — the last time she had asked him that question, he hadn't answered, and it _had_ been terrible.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to — are you in the middle of something?"

"Duncan," she said impatiently, "what's going on?"

"I'm kind of stranded. I got pulled over on the PCH, and they want to impound the car. I guess there are a bunch of parking tickets and something Lilly picked up for running a red light."

Veronica could still hear someone shouting in the background, but she thought now that whoever it was was singing, not shouting. It sounded a little like Iron and Wine's "Such Great Heights."

"And you're calling me because..."

There was a pause. Finally, he said, "I was hoping maybe you could come get us."

"Where are your parents?" she asked. She was sure Jake Kane could straighten this little impoundment matter out in seconds, and Duncan was never afraid to call dearest mom and dad to get him out of a jam. He was their precious son who could do no wrong, after all.

"In Hawaii. Anniversary trip."

"And your friends? What about Logan? Dick? Enbom? Shelley? Madison? Meg? Cole? Casey? Should I keep throwing out names?" She couldn't help the sarcastic tone. Duncan hadn't called her in over a year, had barely looked at her, and now he wanted her to come pick up his ass somewhere on the PCH? Like she had nothing better to do?

"Well, Enbom is having a party –"

"On a Tuesday?"

"—and most of them are there, and in no condition to drive. Meg and Shelley and the rest of the cheerleading squad are away at a competition. I can't reach Cole. Madison is at some-"

The voice in the background got clearer suddenly, as if the owner of the voice had leaned in towards the phone.

"Madison is a skank with the IQ of a myrmecophaga tridactyla!" shouted the voice.

"Is that _Logan_?" asked Veronica, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

"Um, yeah. He's kind of...he can't drive. He doesn't have his car, but even if-"

"Yeah, Duncan, I get it. Wait, are _you_ drunk?"

"No. I haven't had anything to drink. Logan —"

"If you're not drunk driving, I don't care. So, let me see if I understand. For some reason which I can't imagine, you and Logan are not at Enbom's ragin' party, Logan is doing some raging of his own, and you're stone cold sober. None of your friends can pick you up, but you've tried all of them already, and having come to the end of your rope, you resorted to dialing my number, which I was pretty sure you had deleted from your phone a year ago."

"Veronica, are you mad that I called you, or that I didn't call you _first_?" Duncan's voice had an edge to it that Veronica had almost never heard, and it made her smile for some reason.

She sighed. In the background, she heard, "Is that Ronnie? Let me talk," and then a scuffle.

After a minute, Logan's voice came through the phone. "Hey, Veronica. It's Logan now. I'm on Duncan's phone. What are you doing?"

She grinned helplessly. He was clearly very drunk.

"I'm coming to pick up your drunk ass."

"Again? That's so convenient. Duncan," he called. "Ronnie's coming to get us. It's what she does now, you know." There was some mumbling in the background, and then Logan was back. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No," she relented. And it was true. She wasn't mad. She hadn't forgiven him for everything she laid on him in the car the day before, but she had to admit he was trying. She still didn't know what to do with that, but it was worth a shot.

"Good. I'm not mad at you. So...what are you wearing?"

"What?" she laughed. "Logan, put Duncan back on."

"I think you should wear what you had on at Gameland that day. Remember that day? I liked that day. But no wig. Your hair is better."

She gripped the phone tighter, trying to ignore the tightening in her chest, the flips her stomach had started doing. "Logan," she said carefully, "can you put Duncan back on?"

"No," he said, simply. "He had a chance. It's my turn now."

She smiled. "Okay, Logan. I'm fine with that. Can you just tell me where you are?"

There was a pause. "The side of the highway," he said after a moment. "There's a beach, and a cop car, and it's dark."

She heard another scuffle, and then, in the background, Logan singing again. Duncan's voice came back on the line.

"Veronica? Sorry about that." She could tell he was grinning. He told her approximately where they were.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," she said. She disconnected the call, and grabbed her car keys, smiling and muttering about idiots as she hurried out of the apartment.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N3: Next time, on "Take a Ride With Me":

_"I need your help with something." She bit her lip, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye._

_He straightened up, stared at her. "Huh. You'd think if hell froze over, it'd be on the news."_

_She shook her head. "You know what? Never mind."_

_"Is this about the car? The drugs?" he asked._

_"No. I…can't find those. This is about the ticket."_

_"Lilly's ticket." It wasn't a question._

_"Yes. I want to see a copy of it."_

_Now he narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?" he asked._


	5. Chapter 5: Knowing is Half the Battle

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: Thanks for being patient! After a week running around Disney World for my sister's 30th birthday, I needed a couple of days to recover. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Logan wonders why Duncan dumped Veronica. Logan learns that Lianne was having an affair with a married man whose wife threatened Lianne and ran her out of Neptune. Logan doesn't trust Troy, and has Keith investigate his background, but doesn't tell Veronica. Logan tries to set Troy up with a trip to TJ. Veronica does a background check on Logan and finds out Aaron isn't his real father, but doesn't tell him. Veronica tries to find the missing car and drugs and fails. Logan finds out how tough Veronica's life has been for the past year and gets shit-faced to drown out the guilt. Veronica gets a call to come pick up Duncan and a very drunk Logan when Duncan's car gets impounded for Lilly's old unpaid ticket.

Chapter Five: Knowing is Half the Battle

When the LeBaron pulled up, Logan was lying across the hood of Duncan's car while Duncan was talking to the deputy. Logan turned his head to watch Veronica step out of the car and look at them both, her hands on her hips.

"So, wait a second, you're saying it's really this one ticket that's the issue? Can I just pay it?" Duncan sounded exasperated. Logan crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Veronica, and saw her fighting back a smile.

The deputy shook his head. "You have to do that through the department," he was saying, "and it's not just the October third moving violation, it's that on top of the parking tickets."

Logan pushed himself to a sitting position at the words "October third." He shot a look at Veronica, and saw her eyes widen. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head slightly, and he closed it again. He knew she had heard the date and understood the significance of it – Lilly had gotten a ticket of some kind on the day she died.

Ten minutes later, the three of them were in the LeBaron. Logan lay across the back seat, his eyes closed, and Duncan sat in front.

"Thanks for coming," said Duncan. "We left Enbom's to drive around because the genius in the back decided to mainline whiskey, and I had to give him time to sober up before bringing him home."

"No problem," Veronica said.

Logan noted that Duncan hadn't said anything about the date of the ticket. Maybe he hadn't been paying attention. He pushed himself up.

"Drop him off first," he said. "I'm not sober yet."

"You're not going to be sober for days," said Veronica over her shoulder. Did he detect disapproval in her tone? Probably. What else was new?

They lapsed into silence for the remainder of the drive to the Kane estate. When Veronica pulled through the gates and stopped in front of the large glass doors, Duncan smiled at her.

"Thanks again," he said. "You sure you don't need help with…" He glanced back at Logan, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine, idiot. See you tomorrow," he grumbled.

Once Duncan was in the house, Logan climbed over the seat and into the front.

"Where to now, Captain Whiskey?" asked Veronica, her voice falsely bright.

"You can take me home if you want," he said, frowning. "I'll sneak into the poolhouse and sleep it off."

When she didn't reply, he looked up. She was regarding him cautiously.

"Why are you so drunk?" she asked. "On a Tuesday, Logan..."

He laughed. "It's what I do. My closest friend, Jack Daniels, doesn't let me down when I'm feeling like shit."

"Why are you feeling like shit?"

He ran his hands through his hair and looked out at the night. The alcohol haze was beginning to fade, but it was still present enough to get in the way of his best judgment. Before he realized what he was doing, he started talking.

"Because of you." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shift in her seat. "All that crap you said to me yesterday. I did all of those things. All of them. Even the things I didn't do, I was the one who made other people think it was okay — no, expected — to treat you like that. How can you even talk to me? _I_ don't even want to talk to me."

He didn't want to look at her. He couldn't look at her. He didn't want her to say anything, because if she did, it was even money that she would tell him he was right, and to get out of the car. So he kept going.

"You just kept taking it. You took it, and you were upset, but you didn't fight back. How could you not fight back? I figured you thought you deserved it. And then you didn't seem to care. Nothing I did wiped that blank look off of your face. I _hate_ that look." He turned to her, finally. "I hate that look, Veronica. I can't see what's going on inside you when you shut down like that."

She was shaking her head, her eyebrows close together. "Why did you do it?" she asked. "What made you hate me so much?"

He leaned his head against the headrest, looked up at the sky. "Are we really having this conversation right now?"

"I think we are. I think it's past time we did."

He shut his eyes. "You sure you have the time? It's a long list."

"Of things that made you hate me?"

"Yeah." When she was silent, he took a deep breath. "First of all, you made Lilly break up with me, right before she...right before she died."

"The Yolanda thing."

"Yeah, the Yolanda thing."

"Logan, I had to -"

"I know. But you were _my_ friend too. What the hell was that about? You couldn't say, 'Hey Logan, you jackass, you have seven seconds to explain before I rat you out.' Or 'Hey Logan, tell Lilly about Yolanda or else I will.' You couldn't at least give me that much benefit of the doubt? I thought we were friends."

His tone was harsher than he had intended. Maybe he was still angry. He dared a look at her, and she jutted her chin out.

"We were friends. But Lilly was my _best_ friend. I couldn't not tell her," she said. "And Jesus, Logan, talk about a minor infraction. You're still mad about this? This made you mad enough to...to..."

"All I'm saying is you should have talked to me, before you told her about that stupid kiss. That stupid, three-second, drunk and pissed-off-at-Lilly kiss. So on October third, where was I? Not with Lilly. Not with her, protecting her."

He heard Veronica gasp beside him. "If you had been with her, you might be dead, too."

"Yeah, but at least I would have tried to protect her."

A cold hand gripped his wrist. He tensed. When she spoke, the anger and indignation had left her voice. "Logan, it's not your fault Lilly was murdered," she said quietly. "It's not mine, either. We didn't kill her."

"I know," he said. "But at first I just needed...to blame someone. So I blamed me, and you. And her, a little, for being a bitch and pissing me off and then dumping me." She was silent. "You want to hear more?"

The hand on his wrist squeezed. "Yes."

He swallowed. "Then your dad...Jake has always been like, this guy who treated me like I was worth something. And when your dad went after him, it was tearing the family apart. I hated you for that, too."

"For standing by my dad."

"Yeah."

"I had to, Logan. My dad is the only-"

"Yeah."

The hand gentled, and he felt her thumb tracing circles on his wrist. "Well, I already knew about that reason. Is there more?" she asked.

"Duncan," he said.

"What about him?"

"Well, what the hell did you do to him? This...zombie Duncan, that started even before Lilly. It started when he broke up with you. He wouldn't talk to me about it. I figured you had to have done something so awful to him to make him, the perfect boyfriend, the nice guy, pull away like that. And so I felt like you had taken away Lilly, Duncan, and Jake from me, and I couldn't...I didn't know..."

The hand left his wrist, and he opened his eyes, turned to her. She looked like she had been slapped.

"You asked," he challenged. "So that's...why."

He leaned his head back again, closed his eyes, waited for her to tell him to get out. He could hear her breathing beside him. Then she let out a shaky laugh.

"Okay, then."

His eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I'm glad you told me. I guess I understand. You're completely wrong about...most of it, of course, but I understand that you can't help how you feel. I mean really, Logan, way to deflect. Glad I made such a convenient target."

He watched her cautiously. She was smiling at him, a small, tentative smile, but he could see the pain in her eyes.

"Why are you giving me another chance?" he asked. "_Are_ you giving me another chance?"

She shrugged. "I guess maybe I am. And Logan, about Duncan...I didn't do anything. At least, if I did, I don't know what it was. He never told me why he dumped me. He never told me he was dumping me. He just stopped talking to me."

"So...the truce?"

"Hang the truce. A truce is when you hold your fire temporarily, but keep your guns aimed just in case the other guy blinks first. I don't want a truce."

"Then what?" he asked. "Are we friends?"

"No." She sighed. "Or – not yet. Let's just admit that you were wrong, and we're both sorry, and we screwed up when we should have been there for each other, and...see."

Something unraveled inside him, and he let out a breath. "Well. Good old JD, never lets me down."

"Yeah, we're going to have a talk about your habit of drowning your problems in alcohol another time."

She pulled back onto the road. To his surprise, she didn't take the turn to the Echolls estate. Instead, she headed downtown. He began to beat a drumbeat on the dashboard until she shot him a look that clearly said that if he didn't stop she would taser him.

"Where are we going?" he asked, finally.

"I need your help with something." She bit her lip, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

He straightened up, stared at her. "Huh. You'd think if hell froze over, it'd be on the news."

She shook her head. "You know what? Never mind."

"Is this about the car? The drugs?" he asked.

"No. I…can't find those. This is about the ticket."

"Lilly's ticket." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. I want to see a copy of it."

Now he narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?" he asked.

"Because. It's…a piece of the puzzle. Maybe it means nothing, but I won't know until I see it. There's no mention in the case file that she got a ticket that day, so I'm betting no one knows about it, except the computer system and…us."

He thought about that, then nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Look at you, being all agreeable."

"Veronica, I still have no reason to think that Lilly's killer isn't behind bars already. And while I'm not willing to consider that Jake Kane had anything at all to do with it, I _am_ willing to consider that maybe someone else did. If the ticket helps, then…"

She shook her head. "Sometimes you…" she trailed off.

"Sometimes I what?"

"You surprise me. That's all."

He felt a huge grin splitting his cheeks, and he couldn't help it. She laughed at his expression.

"Okay," she said, pulling up in front of the Sheriff's station. "I need to get onto Lamb's computer, get onto the traffic system, and pull a copy of the ticket."

"You think you can just log onto the Sheriff's computer?"

"I'm betting I can guess his password. I just have to get in there. Here's what we have to do. At this time of night, the Sheriff's department will be staffed by one guy, probably a newbie…"

Fifteen minutes later, he strolled into the Sheriff's station. He felt oddly sober all of a sudden. Maybe the thought of investigating his girlfriend's murder, or the fact that Veronica had actually asked him to help her, was enough to shock him out of being drunk. Or maybe unleashing the pent-up guilt and shame he felt, and the fact that Veronica hadn't told him to go to hell and shoved him away - which she had every right to do - had done the trick. The relief and gratitude coursing through his body had flushed out the alcohol.

Inside, he approached the counter. A young-looking deputy looked up from his desk.

"Can I help you?" asked the deputy.

"Sure can," said Logan. "I wanted to talk to someone about what it's like to be a deputy. I'm thinking about law enforcement, you know, as a career, and I thought maybe there was an internship or something I could do."

"Well," said the deputy, "I'm kind of new, so I don't really –"

"That's cool," said Logan. "How did you get a job here? Do I have to graduate from college? I have a high school diploma, but I'm not really a school person. Is there a police academy?"

"I-I think we have some brochures somewhere. Hang on a second."

The deputy, looking flustered, went into a small room off to the side. Logan took a few steps backward and leaned out into the hallway, beckoning Veronica inside. She hurried past him, around the front desk, and into the Sheriff's office. The door had just closed behind her when the deputy returned.

For the next twenty minutes, Logan babbled to the deputy about how cool the job was, and how he wanted to be just like him. Finally, he saw the door to the Sheriff's office crack open.

"Hey," he said, leaning in conspiratorially. "Can you give me a quick tour?"

"I'm not supposed to do that," said the deputy.

"Like, two minutes. I just want to see the other rooms. Like, is that the evidence room? Or even, hey, can I see an interrogation room?" Logan coated the enthusiasm on thick, hoping it was contagious.

"Okay, but real quick," said the deputy. He beckoned to Logan, who followed him around the counter and down the hall. After sitting in the witness' chair and looking at the two-way mirror, Logan thanked the deputy, took the brochures, and walked out the door with a salute.

Veronica was waiting for him in the car. He slid into the passenger seat. His stomach flipped at the expression on her face.

"What?" he asked. "Did you get it?"

She nodded silently. Slowly, she handed over a piece of paper. He looked at it in the overhead light, and swallowed hard.

There in fuzzy black and white, was Lilly. She was smiling, maybe laughing, in the driver's seat of the SUV.

"What is this, a red light camera? She ran a red light?"

Veronica nodded. He peered at the image. Lilly looked so…alive. And this was taken on the day she died. He suddenly couldn't get the images of the crime scene video out of his head, the way her eyes were wide open but vacant, empty. The way the blood had pooled around her head and made her sunny blonde hair bright crimson. The way the lights in the pool shimmered over her pep squad outfit.

Without knowing it was happening, he suddenly felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He sniffed, and smeared the back of his hand across his face. When he looked at Veronica, he saw that her eyes were shining as well.

"What was it like," he asked. "To be there?"

He didn't have to explain. She closed her eyes. "Horrible. It felt like…like the ground opened up beneath me, and I couldn't feel my legs. I kept trying to close my eyes, to get away from seeing her…like that, but my eyes wouldn't close. My body wouldn't turn. It took my father dragging me away from the pool and around to the front of the house, and then it was too late. I'll always see it."

"I'm sorry you had to be there," he said, looking away from her and out into the dark streets. "I'm sorry I wasn't."

"I'm glad you weren't," she said. "No one should have to see that. The video was bad enough."

"No, I didn't mean I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it, I meant - I meant I'm sorry I wasn't there for Duncan, and for you."

They sat in silence a few minutes. Finally, he heard her take a breath.

"Logan," she said, "Did you see the time on the ticket?"

He looked at the paper again. "6:02PM." He glanced at Veronica. "And?"

"Her time of death was supposedly 4:00PM."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica put the LeBaron in park just outside the Echolls' gate, and turned off the engine, but neither she nor Logan got out of the car. They hadn't spoken since they left the Sheriff's department, since she had told him the time of death. He hadn't answered her, just stared at the ticket, until she finally decided it was time to get going. It was close to midnight, and her dad, if he came home from his date with Ms. James, that is, would be wondering where she was.

"Is it okay for you to go in?" she asked him.

His head snapped in her direction. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...you didn't want to come home drunk. Are you sober enough to go in?"

"Yeah," he said. "Besides, I thought my dad was home, but I remembered he went to LA tonight. He'll be back in a few days. He's the only one who would care. My mom won't be waiting up."

"Okay." She reached out and he froze, but then relaxed when she took the ticket back from him. "I'll hang onto this."

"What do you think it means?" he asked.

She wasn't sure how to answer. Considering his steadfast loyalty to the Kanes, she wasn't sure how he would take the fact that now, if Lilly didn't die at 4PM like everyone thought, none of the Kanes had alibis. She wasn't sure how he would react to the suggestion that someone had to alter her time of death, either by paying off the coroner or somehow fooling the coroner, and the most likely suspects for that were the Kanes.

Finally, she said, "I don't know yet. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

He nodded, then got out of the car. "Veronica," he said. "Thanks."

She smiled. "Yeah. Good night."

He punched in the code to the gates and loped up the drive. When he had disappeared into the darkness, she headed for home.

When she arrived, her dad wasn't there. It didn't really surprise her, considering how mad he had been that afternoon, but she was grateful because she didn't have to explain where she had been. She busied herself getting ready for bed, letting her mind wander over the revelations of the evening.

She finally understood. He had been wrong about most of it - with the exception of the fact that maybe she _should_ have talked to him about Yolanda before telling Lilly, not that it would have made much difference - but it made sense. She hadn't handled things well either, after Lilly died. The difference was that she had had her dad to turn to. She knew Logan didn't really rely on his parents the way she relied on hers. He relied on her, and Duncan, and Lilly, and with Lilly murdered, and Duncan catatonic, and his perception of her betrayal, he had been all alone.

Crawling into bed, she decided not to think about what came next, what would happen if they had another falling out and he decided she was persona non grata again. She'd be cautious, and maybe next time she wouldn't let it go on without demanding answers from him. It bothered her that he said she hadn't fought back...she didn't because she didn't understand what she was fighting _against_, or _for_. She wouldn't make that mistake again, she decided.

The next morning, she emerged from her bedroom to find her dad putting files in his briefcase.

"Morning," she said.

"Morning." He came over and kissed her on the cheek. She reached for an apple, and noticed a manila envelope sitting on the counter. It had Troy's name on it in big letters.

"What is this?" she asked, her voice shaky. She had a suspicion she knew exactly what it was.

"That's for you. It's everything you may or may not want to know about Troy. You can open it, you can throw it out. It's your choice." Her dad looked at her steadily, and then walked out the front door.

Veronica stared at the envelope. _Damn him_, she thought. _I guess I deserve this_. She picked up the envelope, hesitated, and then tore it open.

Her eyes skimmed the pages with growing horror. What the hell was all of this? Arrests, expulsions, all drug-related. Seriously drug-related. This wasn't small time stuff. She set the apple down, no longer hungry, shoved the papers in her bag, and hurried out the door.

She found Troy at his locker. All the way to school, she had tried to decide whether to confront him or not. Would it make any difference? She knew that his father was coming home today, and that he was likely to be gone by the end of the week.

He turned and saw her, smiled that devil-may-care smirk that usually made her grin back helplessly. "Hey sexy," he said. "Give me a kiss, make all my troubles disappear?"

The anger inside her bubbled up and over before she had consciously made a decision about what to do.

"I'm just glad we weren't dating when you were kicked out of those two schools for drug possession and trafficking. My lips would have fallen off."

Troy looked at her sharply, his grin fading instantly. "Well, good morning to you, too," he said, the bitterness in his voice apparent.

"Although, back then, Shauna was doing most of the kissing, wasn't she?" Veronica took a step forward, tilted her head to the side. She could feel the smile on her face, the one that made her look like a complete bitch, and she couldn't help it. "You remember Shauna, don't you? You were kicked out of Pembroke in Connecticut with her for marijuana possession and then out of St. Mary's in Boston." She laughed. "You crazy kids never learn. Yet now, I'm supposed to believe that you knew nothing about Luke picking up the steroids in TJ?"

Confusion crossed Troy's features. "What – what are you talking about, steroids?"

"Don't even –" Veronica started, advancing closer to Troy. Her fists clenched, and she pressed them to her sides to keep from taking a swing at her dear, sweet boyfriend.

Troy threw his hands up, palms out. "Look, I don't know anything about Luke and steroids. Yeah, I got busted in Boston with some dope. Big deal."

"You got busted for trafficking, Troy. That's a little more than having 'some dope,'" Veronica spat.

"Yeah, so? That was two years before we even met. What does that have to do with us now?"

"Because you never told me about it!" Veronica lost her last shaky hold on control, her voice rising three octaves. Troy stood there, glaring at her, and she couldn't help but think that she didn't even know who he was.

Finally, Troy spoke. When he did, he scowled at her, his tone defeated and bitter. "Maybe I would have. You ever think of that? Maybe after I'd known you for more than a _month_, I'd tell you my deep dark secrets. Or is that too much of a character flaw? Waiting for the girl to like you before you tell her the things you're not so proud of?" He stopped, shook his head. "I don't have to tell you that. You're Veronica Mars. You know everything."

He slammed his locker shut and turned his back on her, striding away with his shoulders hunched.

_I don't know what to think, Troy. Are you telling me the truth now? That's the whole trouble. Even if you would have told me about your past eventually, and even if you have changed, I'll never be able to trust you. I'll never really know who you are or whether you mean what you say._

Veronica stared after him, her stomach rolling. She was trying hard not to let the heat behind her eyes turn into tears when Logan strolled up.

"Morning, Sugarpuss. Rescue any stranded jackasses lately?"

She looked up at him, her mouth twisted into a bitter frown, and saw his grin melt away.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He looked down the hallway to where Troy had just disappeared, and then back at her. "What happened?"

She opened her mouth to tell him not to worry about it, and then froze.

"_You knew_," she whispered.

Logan stepped back, eyed her cautiously. "Knew what?" he asked.

"About Troy. All of it." She drew in a careful breath. Her chest felt squeezed, and her breathing was starting to come in gasps. _Logan knew, and he didn't tell me_.

"I don't...I'm not sure what you mean..." Logan stammered. He glanced around at the emptying hallway. The bell was about to ring.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I Never," she said. "You _told_ me that you played 'I Never' with your enemies to reveal their dirtiest secrets. That's what you were doing in the limo. 'I Never got kicked out of school?' 'I Never got arrested?'"

Logan took a step toward her, reached out a hand, but she stepped back, keeping the distance between them the same. "Veronica –" he said, pulling the hand back and running it through his hair nervously.

"Jesus, Logan. How long have you known? How long have you been keeping this from me? How did you find out?"

"Okay," he said. "Okay, listen. Will you promise to listen to me before you issue judgment?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"Look, I didn't trust him. He smelled off to me. I didn't like the idea of you being vulnerable to someone shady. So I had him checked out. I found out about the arrests and the expulsions, the drugs. It turned out I was right."

"When?"

"What?"

"When did you 'check him out?'" Veronica bit out each word, making the edges as sharp as possible. "How long have you known about all this?"

He held his hands up. "Not long, I swear. I found out the day of homecoming, that's it."

She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the class bell. "But you didn't see fit to tell me that the guy I was hanging out with had a record."

"Seriously, Veronica?" Logan's tone crept toward a harsher place. "And what would that have accomplished? You would have told me to go to hell for having run the background check in the first place."

"So you're aware that doing that was wrong. You're not under some misguided impression that you were doing me a favor."

"I was doing you a favor. But I also knew you'd be pissed. I was trying to be friends with you again. I didn't want anything to get in the way of that."

"Including Troy," she snapped.

"Including Troy." His tone held no apology. She couldn't believe that they had just crossed over into becoming friends again, and here he was, demonstrating exactly why they hadn't been friends for a year. He made choices for everyone and didn't think about the consequences.

"So, what? Did you try to come with some plan to - oh my god, Logan, you did. You came up with a plan to get him out of my life. Where did you stash the car?"

Logan looked like she had slapped him. "I told you, I had nothing to do with the car disappearing. You believed me."

"Yeah well, at the time I didn't know that you were manipulating me. What was the plan, then?"

"There wasn't one. I just thought...if Troy had a chance to get involved with the drug business again, he might take the bait. But I didn't steal the car."

She glared at him. "Bully for you. You're just a jackass, then, not an evil genius." She turned and stomped away. He followed after her.

"Veronica –"

"Stay away from me, Logan."

"But I –"

She whirled on him, put her hands to his chest. "Stay. Away." She gave him a shove, and then took off down the hallway.

Rounding the corner, her head down to hide the angry tears that were once again threatening to spill, she crashed into another body. Hands reached out to steady her, and she looked up. Great, Luke. Just the person she wanted to see.

He grinned at her and held out an envelope. "Hey, I got it all," he said. "Eight grand. And a little slice of my soul."

Her eyes narrowed as she remembered Luke whining about selling an autographed baseball of some kind in order to come up with the cash to pay back Zigman. She reached out and snatched the envelope.

"Woe is you," she sneered at him, then turned on her heel and barreled away.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan picked at his Chinese delivery, one eye trained on Veronica's lunch table. It was empty, ten minutes into the lunch period, and he was wondering where she was.

All morning he had tried to figure out what to do with her. One minute she was opening the door to their friendship, the next she was slamming it in his face. He supposed he couldn't really blame her. He had known that if she found out he had investigated Troy behind her back, she would flip. He had just been hoping it would take her longer to find out, and they could be on more solid ground when she did.

The trouble was, what to do now that she knew?

When he saw Wallace slide into a seat at Veronica's table, and still no sign of Veronica, Logan pushed his beef with broccoli aside and stood, crossing the quad in quick strides.

"Where is she?" he asked. Wallace's head snapped up, and his brows drew together when he saw who had asked the question.

"If you mean Veronica, she's not here."

Logan rolled his eyes, then propped one foot on the bench next to Wallace, leaning in, his arms crossed over his raised knee. "I didn't ask if she was _here_, I asked where she _was_. Care to try again?"

Wallace shrugged and pulled a sandwich out of his lunch bag. "If I knew, what makes you think I'd tell you where she was?"

"Because you're grateful to me for paving your way into the _lovely_ Georgia's homecoming panties?"

"I was four-fifths of the way there _before_ you showed up in the limo," Wallace scoffed. "And anyway, that was then. This is now."

Logan slid into the seat with a sigh. "Look, I just need to talk to her."

"She's pissed at you," said Wallace, unwrapping his sandwich. "It might be safer if you waited a few days."

"What else is new?" asked Logan. He paused. "How pissed, exactly?"

Wallace grinned. "She was using words I never even heard before to describe you. What did you do, anyway? Even before you guys were talking again, she was never so…colorful about her feelings."

Logan ran a hand through his hair. "I kind of screwed something up. I just want to talk. She ran away this morning before I could explain."

Wallace looked at him a moment. "If she asks, I had nothing to do with this," he said. When Logan nodded his agreement, Wallace frowned. "She's skipping this afternoon. She said she had to go take care of Luke's juicehead problem. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but if you do..."

Logan was already up out of his seat. "When did she leave?" he asked.

"Just before lunch. Fifteen minutes ago, maybe."

Logan took off for the parking lot.

Ten minutes later, after running two red lights and breaking six different speed limits, he pulled the XTerra to a stop behind the LeBaron, which was parked behind an orange Hummer with the plate, "Z-Meister." Before he had shut the engine off, Veronica emerged from a door labeled "Zig Zag Sports Club," towing Backup behind her.

Logan jumped out of his car and barreled towards her, leaving his door wide open, the engine running. He had a moment to register the angry, pinched look on her face before she glanced up at him and surprise crossed her features.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, his voice a little louder than he had expected it to be.

She stepped back, and the pinched look returned. "I'm trying to get into my car," she said. "So if you could get out of my way, that would be peachy."

Instead, he positioned himself between her and the driver's side door, shaking his head.

"Are you completely crazy? Tell me you did _not_ just confront a juiced up muscle-head drug dealer with nothing but your puppy dog for protection?"

"Okay," she said, tilting her head to one side. "I did not just confront a juiced up muscle-head drug dealer with nothing but my puppy dog for protection."

"Veronica –"

"I had Backup, who is trained to attack on my command, and a taser. I also had my cell phone and a gym full of witnesses surrounding me."

Logan relaxed slightly. "Did he take the money?"

"Yeah. But he didn't take my advice, which was to let Luke off the hook." She smiled. "Oh, it's going to be so much fun making him regret that."

Logan shook his head, not sure what she was talking about. "You should have let Luke return the money himself." In fact, he was going to have some choice words with Luke as soon as possible about sending Veronica in to clean up his mess. "It was dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "It was fine," she said.

"It was _not_ fine. It was dangerous. You can't put yourself in these situations."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "I can't? Who exactly says I can't? The jackass who has made me feel like my entire life is a dangerous situation for the past year? The alcoholic who puts himself – not to mention everyone else on the road – in danger every time he drinks and gets behind the wheel? The _friend_ who lies to me and manipulates people and does things behind my back to screw with my life? Which one of these people is trying to tell me what to do, Logan? Because from where I'm standing, none of them have even the shadow of a leg to stand on."

He cringed at her words, and clenched his fists, unable to come up with a response.

"Are we done now?" asked Veronica. "I'm kind of on a schedule here."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you up to?"

"None of your business. Get out of my way."

"I need to talk to you about the Troy thing. I didn't –" He watched as she shut down, her face becoming blank.

"No," she interrupted. "Not on the schedule." She turned then and went to the passenger side of the car, where she let Backup in, then climbed in herself and slid over to the driver's side. "I mean it, Logan. Back off. This whole thing was a mistake." she turned the key in the ignition, glanced up at him. "You do your thing, and I'll do mine. We'll just…ignore each other. It's for the best."

She hit the gas, and he jumped out of the way to avoid being run over as she pulled out of the parking space and into the street. He hesitated for only a moment before dashing back to his car and speeding after her.

As he suspected, she headed home. He arrived in time to see her jogging through the lot to her apartment, Backup in tow. He pulled into a space the next row over from her car, and decided to go with the simplest plan he could come up with. He got out of his car and let the air out of all four of the LeBaron's tires. Then he leaned up against the passenger door of the XTerra and waited.

Ten minutes later, she jogged back across the lot, her head down. When she arrived at the car, she reached for the door and then stopped short, her mouth dropping open. She walked slowly around the car, bending down to check each tire. After a moment, she closed her mouth and pressed her lips into a thin line, standing up and peering around the lot. She spotted him and stomped over.

"So, this is your way of telling me that we're back to hating each other?" she asked through gritted teeth. "You couldn't just have called me a name or written on my locker?"

He gazed at her calmly. "No. This is my way of making sure you couldn't go anywhere without talking to me," he said.

"I told you to leave me alone. I told you to stay away from me. I'm not interested in talking to you."

"Tough."

"What?"

"I said, 'Tough.' We have to talk. You have to not run away. I have to explain."

She folder her arms across her chest. "I'm not interested in your explanation. I know all I need to know. You manipulated me, pretended to want to be my friend, and then went behind my back to get my boyfriend sent away."

He shook his head. "Wrong again. I was worried about you, and I obtained information with the intention of protecting you. And I never _pretended_ anything. I do want to be your friend."

"Excuse me if I have a little trouble believing that. In fact, I feel a little…deflated about the whole situation." She shot a meaningful look at her tires.

He smirked at her. He was gaining ground, he could feel it. On impulse, he pushed away from the SUV and pulled the passenger door open.

"Get in," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Look at that. Not feeling even a little bit of a yes."

"You clearly have somewhere you need to be, and your car won't get you there, not without you taking the time to re-inflate your tires. I'll drive you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "The tires are just flat, right? Not slashed?"

"Just flat. I'll even call someone to come and re-inflate them while we're gone."

She hesitated.

"Look, just get in the car, Veronica."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because then you can't run, and I can explain, and we can talk. Any headway we've made in the last few weeks has been in a car, when one or the other of us can't just bail. Give it a chance."

Something passed across her face then, too quickly for him to read it, and then she scrunched up her nose in indecision. Finally, she sighed and climbed in. He shut the door behind her with a smile, and jogged around the car to the driver's side. Once he was seated and the engine was running he turned to her. She was looking at him cautiously.

"So where is it that you need to go, and what's the hurry?" he asked.

She frowned, and looked away. "To the scene of the crime," she said bitterly. "I solved the case."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_Would I have been better off not knowing about Troy? Happier, maybe. But it would have been a temporary happiness, because Troy would have left anyway, and then I would have been upset instead of angry. Is that better? I'll never know._

After Veronica had explained to Logan about the telephone call she had made to a certain Shauna Watson, and Shauna's revelation that Troy was coming to meet her, she paused and glanced over at him.

He was gripping the steering wheel tightly, his jaw set into hard lines, his back rigid. She wondered about that, about what made him so angry at Troy's actions. She knew he didn't like Troy, but he seemed personally offended by the sequence of events, even though they really didn't affect him at all.

"Then, it was something you said that made me realize what had happened," she finished. He glanced at her sharply.

"What did I say?"

"That you guys had gone into the restroom at the diner one at a time. It was the only time Troy could have taken and hidden the drugs and the car without you and Luke knowing about it. After that, it was simple to have it picked up by Weevil's cousin, scrubbed, and re-deposited somewhere near the diner so that Troy could pick it up once his dad kicked him out, retrieve the drugs, and be away from home and untraceable for a while."

Logan slammed the heel of his hand against the steering wheel. "I knew it. I knew he was behind it somehow. I just couldn't see past the fact that Weevil told me the car had really been stolen. It didn't occur to me that _Troy_ would have arranged to have the car stolen so it couldn't be traced."

Veronica stared at Logan. "Weevil told you what?"

He glanced at her again, then sighed and shook his head. "Don't flip out on me, okay? I'm coming clean, here."

After a moment, she said, "No promises, but I'll try. You're not off the hook yet, anyhow."

"I went to Weevil the day after the car went missing and asked him to help me find and steal the car for real, and Weevil said he was pretty sure the car had come through the garage and had actually been stolen."

Veronica gasped. "You did what?"

"At the time, I thought that Troy had stolen the drugs and then hidden the car – temporarily – as a cover story and to shift the focus off of him."

"Temporarily? Because why would Troy have stolen the car for real when it meant getting shipped off to Albuquerque." Veronica mused softly.

"Right. I figured the car would turn up in time for Troy to not get into trouble, but the drugs would be long gone, presumably stolen by whoever borrowed the car."

"When in reality Troy took them himself. It's a pretty good theory. I'm a little impressed."

"Really?" Logan shot a cautious look at Veronica, and she rolled her eyes.

"I said a little. Don't quit your day job. What you couldn't figure out was that Troy wanted to be sent away to school. It would give him a few days to put distance between himself and his father…in the stolen, untraceable car."

"Yeah. He was even more devious than I gave him credit for."

"And yet," said Veronica, her tone sharp, "you were willing to have Weevil steal the car for real so that Troy would get sent away."

"Yes," Logan admitted. "I was absolutely willing to do that. Of course, if I was right about my theory, Troy would have at least been guilty of stealing the drugs and putting Luke in danger, so he would have deserved it anyway."

"And what about me?" she asked. "Did you give a thought at all to how I would feel if he got sent to school and I still thought he was this great guy who really liked me? Did you even consider how it would have affected me?"

Logan was silent for a minute, and Veronica turned and stared out the window, feeling her cheeks flush and her eyes heat. She blinked back frustrated tears, willing herself to feel nothing but good, clean anger and a desire for revenge. She refused to feel like a victim…again.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet. "That's all I was thinking about, Veronica," he said. "I swear. I didn't trust the kid. Something about him bothered me from the second I met him. I didn't like that he went after you and was supposed to be Duncan's friend, when Duncan – when you were Duncan's ex. I didn't like the way he talked about you, as though he was conquering you or something. I didn't like the way he…smirked…all the time."

Veronica let out a humorless laugh. When he glanced at her in question, she shook her head. "Keep talking," she said.

"Yeah, well, you know this part. I had him investigated. If he came up clean, I guess I would have just…watched him. Made sure he didn't do anything. But he didn't come up clean, and I had to do something about it."

"You could have told me."

"Could I? I meant what I said this morning. I knew if I told you, you'd be pissed that I had looked into it in the first place."

"Well, yes. You shouldn't have had him investigated without talking to me."

"How?" He threw his hands up in the air, then returned them to the steering wheel. "You were barely talking to me as it was. What was I going to say, 'hey, Veronica, I was thinking about running a background check on your boyfriend, what do you say?' You would have told me to go to hell."

"Probably." But she smiled. She believed him. She didn't want to, exactly, but she believed that he thought he was doing the right thing and she knew he was right that if he had just come out and told her it would have destroyed any progress they had made.

"Hey, how did you find out about him anyway?"

Veronica shrugged. "My dad investigated him too. Left me the background check this morning, told me I could choose to look at it or not."

"So you looked."

She didn't respond. Logan grinned at her, and she frowned back at him.

"I'm still pissed at you," she said.

His grin faded. "Yeah, I know. Does it help that I'm sorry Troy turned out to be a bigger jackass than me?"

"Not really, because I don't think you mean it."

"Okay, you're right. I don't mean it. I'm glad he's worse than I even suspected. It's nice to be right sometimes." They had reached the USA Border Grille and Diner, and he pulled the XTerra into the dusty lot, then shifted into park and turned to Veronica. "But I am sorry that he used you in the process."

She searched his face, was surprised to see that he meant the last part, at least. His eyes were a dark brown, and while Logan could lie with the best of them, she was pretty sure she could tell when he was being genuine by the color of his eyes. "Thanks," she said softly.

He relaxed, and the left side of his mouth turned up in a relieved half-smile. They looked at each other, and he moved a hand half towards her, then sat back and shoved the hand through his hair. "Well, here we are. What next?"

Veronica let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Something about the interior of the car was making her skin prickly, and she grabbed at the door handle, anxious to get out and into the dusty air outside. Logan followed her lead, and moments later they stood outside the diner.

"You don't have to come in," she said. "I'm just going to pop into the restroom and make a little switch."

His eyes gleamed with interest. "What kind of a switch?" he asked. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bag of candy and a handwritten note. She watched as he took the note and read it, his smirk growing with each line.

"Clever," he said. He reached the end of the note, and his smile faded. "He's an asshole, you know," Logan grumbled. "I hope you at least told this Shauna that he was making out with you while she was pining away for him."

Veronica froze. She had been trying really hard not to think about the fact that Troy was cheating on Shauna with her, or, conversely, that he was passing time with her while he waited to go back to his real girlfriend. She had started to trust him, to relax into a relationship with him, to think that maybe she could be normal again, and he would have disappeared on her just like…

_Best not to dwell on that, Veronica. Troy is an asshole, like Logan said. That's all you need to know._

She took the note back from Logan, but didn't protest when he followed her into the diner and into the men's room. They searched the room side by side until Logan located the package of steroids behind one of the ceiling tiles. He wordlessly passed her the package, and she carefully slit it open, swapped the vials of steroids for the candy and the note, and taped it back up. She handed the package back to Logan and he replaced it and the tile before hopping down from the counter.

He waved a hand at the steroids. "So I guess we can get Zigman off of Luke's back," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Luke knew from the beginning that if I found the drugs I was going to make him return them and get the money back. Since the money part is taken care of, I think we just destroy the evidence." She pushed into a stall and began to empty the vials into the toilet.

"Wait," said Logan. "What about Luke? You said Zigman didn't agree that getting the money back was enough."

"I already took care of that," she said.

He narrowed his eyes. "How?" he asked.

She looked up at him and grinned. "Oh, you know…border control now has a nice little photo of him with his name and description of his car as a known drug smuggler. I imagine he'll be picked up within the next few days."

Logan shook his head, but smiled in appreciation. Finally, he gestured for her to continue her destruction of the drugs, and after a minute, she flushed the toilet.

They left the diner. "What now?" he asked. "Do we look for the car?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so," she said. "It doesn't really matter. He won't get that far without the cash the steroids would have brought. Let's just go home."

"Okay," he said. "Veronica, we still need to talk about –"

"Yeah, I know," she said. "Look, can you give me a few days? I promise I'll let you talk all you want," she rushed on, when he started to protest, "but I need a few days to…digest."

After a moment, he nodded. He opened the passenger door for her, and she climbed in. When he was settled in the driver's seat, he turned to her. "Let me know when you're ready," he said, "and I'll pick you up. We'll take a ride."

She shook her head at him, then settled back in her seat, trying not to think about Troy and Shauna and the hurricane of lies and deceit she had been living in.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

On Thursday morning, Logan lounged against his locker waiting for Duncan. With the day before being full of Veronica-chasing and Troy-sabotaging, he hadn't had much of a chance to talk to his best friend since Tuesday night. He hadn't decided if he was going to bring up Lilly's ticket, but he needed to figure out if Duncan had even noticed the significance of the date.

While he waited, he thought about where things stood with Veronica. He had made headway yesterday, and he was pretty sure she was going to let him off the hook for the Troy thing. Little did she know that was the tip of the iceberg. She didn't know he had hired _her father_ to do the background check, for example, and Logan was not interested in having her find out about that. It meant he might have to have another chat with Keith Mars, considering Keith was the one who had ultimately delivered the information to Veronica.

Logan was yanked from his thoughts by a fist slamming into the locker beside his head. He looked up in surprise to find Troy glaring at him, his fists clenched as if ready to take another swing. Logan smoothly stepped away from the lockers – and out of Troy's reach – and stared back at him coolly.

"Are we in a bad mood this morning?" asked Logan with a smile, sliding his hands into his pockets. He kept his weight on the balls of his feet, so while he appeared calm, he was ready for Troy's next move.

"What the hell is your problem?" demanded Troy.

"Me?" Logan gestured to himself, looked around. "I don't think I have a problem. You, on the other hand…I hear you're Albuquerque-bound. Or did Daddy-dearest relent when you turned on the waterworks and claimed to have changed?"

Troy sneered at Logan, and snapped, "I know it was you who told Veronica about my record. What did you do, hire someone to dig into my past? If you think I'm going to let you get away with that, you're as much of an idiot as Veronica said you were."

Logan forced himself not to flinch at Troy's words. Whether Veronica had called him an idiot or not, it didn't really matter. He shrugged. "Hey, don't be too sad. Catholic schools have the best uniforms…and haven't you always wondered what it would be like to make it in a confessional?"

Troy charged, and Logan braced himself for the impact, managing to get his arms onto Troy's shoulders, his fingers gripping Troy's sweater, as the other boy shoved him up against the opposite wall of lockers. Logan pushed and whacked, and was about to get in a solid punch when hands grabbed him from behind and he was yanked away from Troy.

He tried to get free, his desire to pummel the asshole who had deceived them all making the edges of his vision blur, until he heard Duncan's voice telling him to chill, and he realized it was Duncan who was holding him back.

He stilled instantly. Duncan's grip on his torso loosened, and Logan's vision cleared. Dick and Enbom were grappling with Troy, pressing him up against the lockers as he struggled to get free. Dick was shouting at him to cool it. After a moment, his eyes locked on Logan's, Troy stopped struggling and mumbled something about being fine. Dick and Enbom released him. He glared at Logan and stalked off down the hall, leaving a crowd staring after him.

"Shit, man. What was that about?" Duncan placed a steadying hand on Logan's shoulder, and Logan forced himself to relax.

"Don't worry about it," he told Duncan. "You know I can't stand that guy. Just him breathing pisses me off."

Duncan looked at him curiously. "Yeah, but I don't know why."

"It's nothing."

Duncan shrugged. "If you say so, man. Just watch it, okay? Your dad is back in town, right? Don't want him to get a call from the Van."

Feeling his shoulders stiffen, Logan shook off Duncan's hand and started down the hallway. He ignored Duncan's comment.

"You get your car back?" he asked.

"Yeah. Man, Lilly's ticket was hundreds of dollars, because it was over a year old. I haven't decided whether to tell my parents or not when they get back this weekend."

Here was his opportunity to bring up the date of the ticket, but Logan couldn't bring himself to do it directly.

"You sure it wasn't your ticket?" he asked.

Duncan glanced at him. "No, it was Lilly's. I didn't start driving that car until...after."

"So the ticket was from before?"

"Yeah." Duncan didn't elaborate, and Logan jammed his hands in his pockets, frustrated.

"You know, dude, we never talked about...that day."

"What day?"

"October third. The day she died. I just wanted to, you know...if you wanted to talk about it, I'm here."

Duncan stopped, eyed Logan. Finally, he shrugged and started walking again. Logan followed. "Thanks," Duncan said. "There's nothing really to talk about."

"Veronica and I finally did," Logan said, before he knew what he was saying.

"Did what?"

"Talked about it. What it was like for her, to...see Lilly like that."

"Wait." Duncan stopped again, grabbed Logan's arm. "Are you...hanging out with Veronica again?"

"Maybe. Kind of. I know you said you didn't want to, dude, and that's fine, but...I had to make things right with her."

Duncan just stared at him. Logan could see pain, and longing, and anger flashing through his eyes. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just waited. After a minute, Duncan shook his head as if to clear it.

"Probably the right thing to do," he said. "Anyway, there's nothing to talk about. I don't really remember anything from that day. Or the next couple, either." The bell rang then, and Duncan grimaced. "Class?"

He headed down the hallway towards English, and Logan followed in a state of shock.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica stared at the circular patterns her spatula made in the bowl of chocolate cake batter. She had been stirring it for a while now – all the little dry batter lumps were gone – but there was something soothing about the repetitive motion of pushing the spatula through the sweet-smelling goo.

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only three-thirty. Her dad was scheduled to be home around six-thirty, with Ms. James, for his birthday dinner, and she just needed to have the cake baked and frosted by then. She had already canceled the Santana tickets, and was determined to be gracious and welcoming of Ms. James. She owed that to her dad.

When her phone rang, she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and reached for it. Logan. Didn't he understand when she said she needed a few days? She set the phone down and let it go to voicemail, going back to her baking. As she preheated the oven, dug out and buttered a cake pan, the phone rang once more. She picked it up after letting it go to voicemail again and listened to Logan's two successive messages.

"Veronica, it's me. Are you around? Call me back."

"Me again. Wallace said you went home to get ready for your dad's birthday. I'm going to swing by. There's something we need to talk about."

Veronica sighed. She supposed she was going to let him off the hook for the Troy fiasco. After all, it was _Troy_ who had really been the bad guy in that situation, leading her on and lying to her and dealing drugs. She might make Logan squirm a little more first, however…and she would _definitely_ make him promise not to keep things like that from her or go behind her back again.

She was finally pouring the cake batter into the pan when there was a knock on the door. She put the bowl down, licked her fingers, and crossed to the door. She flung it open.

"I don't remember agreeing you could come over –" she started to say, and then stopped. It wasn't Logan, it was Troy.

He looked angry.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her hand still on the door.

His frown transformed into a smirk, but instead of being charming, his eyes glinted angrily at her. "Oh, you know, I came to say goodbye to my girlfriend," he said. "Cause I'm off to Catholic school and you were so very upset about it a couple of days ago and all."

"I think we broke up," she said.

"Oh? When _exactly_ did that happen?"

"When I found out that you have another girlfriend stashed away somewhere." Her anger at him from the day before returned with a vengeance. "I didn't realize you were a two-timing drug-dealing asshole. Does she? Or did she dump you, too?"

"No. Shauna wouldn't dump me. I'm her everything. But you know that, because you talked to her, didn't you?"

"You know what, Troy? Go have fun with Shauna. You two deserve each other." She moved to slam the door, but he planted a hand on it and stepped forward, forcing her inside the apartment.

"Well, I have some unfinished business to attend to," he said. He leaned down, inches from her face, and she tried not to flinch. "Where are my steroids?" he asked in a low voice.

"You mean Luke's steroids?" Veronica tried to keep her voice from shaking, and took several steps backwards. Troy advanced on her, and she glanced around the room. Backup was out on dog beach with Sarah from upstairs and her little chichuahua, Killer. Her phone was on the counter, and getting it would require going through Troy. Her bag was in her bedroom, and in it was her taser. She edged to the side, thinking she could make a break for it.

"I mean _my_ steroids," Troy growled. He grabbed her arm and flung her up against the wall. Her head hit the plaster with a loud smack.

Veronica blinked away stars. "I told you already," she said.

"Did you actually flush them?" Troy asked. When she didn't respond, he punched the wall next to her head, and she yelped. "You have been nothing but trouble since the minute I met you," he said. "Supposed to be this easy lay, and yet you wouldn't give it up. Acted like a miniature Sherlock Holmes, screwing everything up for me. You think you can get away with that?"

His hand flashed towards her and gripped her neck. Veronica tried to swallow, and coughed instead as Troy squeezed harder. She gasped, the edges of her vision clouding. He leered at her, and she let out a sob before everything went black.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan pulled the XTerra into the parking lot of Veronica's apartment complex and noted with satisfaction that the LeBaron was there. He had spent the day thinking about what Duncan had told him - that he didn't remember anything about the day Lilly died. He didn't know what it meant, and it scared him to think about that in conjunction with the knowledge that Lilly's time of death was somehow wrong - how, he wasn't sure - but he had to talk to Veronica. She had access to her dad's files, and maybe between them they could make sense of it.

He climbed out of the SUV and made his way through the lot. He was almost to the complex when he turned suddenly. The green Beemer, gleaming in the afternoon sunlight, was decidedly out of place amongst the beaters and pick-ups surrounding it.

His heart pounding, Logan took off at a run. When he reached the door to Veronica's apartment and saw that it was open, he picked up speed. He rounded the corner and entered the apartment in time to see Troy looming over Veronica as she slumped to the ground.

With a roar, Logan launched himself across the small room and grabbed Troy, whirling him around. He noted the surprise on Troy's face, but didn't take the time to be satisfied as he landed one, then two, then three well-placed punches that sent Troy flying. He crashed to the floor, out cold.

Logan got in a few more kicks and punches to Troy's prone form before sanity took over. Leaving the other boy in a crumpled, unconscious heap, he dashed to Veronica. She was coughing, and when he knelt down beside her, her eyelids fluttered open.

"Logan?" she whispered, before coughing again. "Troy..."

He gathered her up, holding her head tightly to his chest and stroking her hair. "I took care of him."

She shuddered, and then fainted.

Logan scrambled for his cell phone. He dialed 911 and then barked out the address before scooping Veronica up in his arms and carrying her into her bedroom. A slight bruise, in the shape of a hand, was starting to form on her neck, and the sight of it had him clenching his teeth and struggling to control his breathing.

He set her down on the bed, called out her name. She opened her eyes again and smiled at him. After a moment, the contented look on her face turned to panic, and she tried to sit up, looking around wildly.

"Troy," she gasped. "He knows about the steroids. He came to -"

"Shhh," he said. "He's out cold. The cops are on their way. And an ambulance. Are you okay here for a minute? I need to make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

She nodded, wide eyed, but when he tried to leave, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"My bag," she said. "The taser-"

He nodded, located her bag, and fished out the taser. "Got it," he said. "Stay put." He strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later, Logan crouched on the floor next to Troy. When the kid started to stir, Logan calmly sent 1200 volts of electricity through his body, and he slumped again, a process that was repeated several times before the sound of sirens could be heard in the air.

When the EMTs charged into the room, Logan backed up to answer questions. Yes, he found Troy attacking Veronica. Yes, Veronica was unconscious when he arrived. Yes, he punched Troy and then tasered him. Yes, Veronica was in her bedroom, but had regained consciousness.

At this point, Veronica emerged from said bedroom, looking shaky but calm. She watched the EMTs load a handcuffed Troy onto a stretcher and roll him out the door. A young deputy from the Sheriff's department had arrived, and he turned his sharp gaze on her.

"Veronica Mars?" he asked.

She nodded.

"We're going to need to ask you some questions. But if you need medical attention-"

"I'm fine," she said.

Logan stepped forward. "Veronica-" he started, but she shook her head at him.

"I'm fine," she repeated.

The deputy looked between them, and seemed satisfied. He directed Veronica to take a seat on the couch, and she took him through the events of the afternoon, leaving out the details about why Troy had shown up in the first place. Logan leaned against the wall, watching her carefully, his lips pressed into a thin line. Finally, the deputy finished his questions. He told Veronica there would be follow-up, asked her again if she needed medical attention, and at her refusal he nodded to them both and left.

In the quiet of the apartment, Veronica continued to sit, still as a statue, on the couch, staring at the coffee table. Logan waited.

Finally, she looked up at him, and the tears in her eyes propelled him forward until he was sitting beside her, his arms around her. She starting sobbing, and he gripped her tighter, rubbing small circles on her back as she clung to him.

After a few minutes, she sniffed loudly and pushed away, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Thanks," she said. "I guess you showed up at the right time." She smiled faintly. "You finally got to beat up Troy."

He frowned. "I think you should go to the hospital," he said.

"No. No, Logan," she said forcefully, when he opened his mouth to protest. "It's my dad's birthday, I have a cake to finish baking, and I really am fine."

"A cake?" he pushed up from the couch, pacing the small space. "You have a hand-shaped bruise on your fucking neck, and you're talking about baking a cake?"

"Stop," she said, calmly, and to both of their surprise, he did. "I'm okay. A little..." she swallowed, "...sore, but okay. And my father doesn't need to know about this," she finished sternly.

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? And how are you planning on keeping it from him?"

"By not telling him until I have to. If I have to," she said. "I have a feeling Troy's dad will get involved and charges will be dropped, with Troy far away in some mental health facility. Isn't that how all you rich kids get away with things?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't know," he said.

"I don't want to ruin his birthday. And he'll worry. And none of that is necessary."

At the firmness in her tone, he frowned harder. "Like it wasn't necessary to tell you about Troy until I was sure he would be a problem?"

Her mouth dropped open. "This is different," she said.

"Why? Because it's you who are keeping this secret?"

She blinked at him, then shook her head. "It's different because I just don't want him to worry. This doesn't have to affect him."

He smirked at her. "I love how your morality is so fluid. It's refreshing."

They glared at each other. After a minute, she relaxed and rolled her eyes. "It's totally different, but point taken. I forgive you for going behind my back and manipulating my life and lying to me about Troy," she said.

He let out a laugh. "That's the most backhanded forgiveness I've ever heard. But I'll take it. And I'm sorry I...whatever you said. Except that wasn't my intention. I was protecting you. Like you're protecting your father."

She tilted her head to one side, examined him. "Careful, Logan," she said. "Getting mad at me for doing things you think are dangerous, 'protecting me' by running background checks, wanting me to go to the hospital, rescuing me from insane ex-boyfriends...I'm going to start thinking you care about me."

He did. Couldn't she see that? He was about to say so when her gaze hardened and she started talking again.

"But you can't keep things from me," she said. "I need to _know_ things. It's never better to keep me in the dark. If you can't understand that, then...whatever path we're headed down here, friendship or not-enemies or whatever, it won't work."

"I get it," he muttered.

"So you have to promise me. That you won't keep things from me. Everything on the table, or the game is over."

He paused, then he nodded. "I promise," he said.

"Really?" She didn't look convinced.

"Really."

She searched his face, then relaxed, slumping back against the couch. Her eyes drifted closed, and then snapped open again. She looked exhausted, he realized.

"I think you should rest," he said.

"I'm-"

"I know, you're fine. But take a nap, at least."

She hesitated, glanced at the clock. "My dad-"

"Will be home in a couple of hours. I'll wake you up."

She hesitated, and then repositioned herself on the couch, curling up onto her side.

"Maybe a few minutes. You don't have to stay."

"I know."

They watched each other carefully, until her eyes drifted closed again. He waited, standing still, resisting the urge to crouch beside her and put his hands in her hair. After a few minutes, she was breathing deeply.

He looked around the apartment, spotted the half-filled cake pan. She was baking her father a cake, he remembered. Suddenly having a purpose, he busied himself in the tiny kitchen, filling the cake pan, putting it in the oven, setting the timer. He cleaned up the baking supplies, set out the frosting container and a fresh spatula. He was rinsing out the bowl when a phone on the counter buzzed.

Without thinking about it, he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Is...is Veronica there?" The voice on the other end was raw, hesitant. He recognized it immediately, at the same time he realized he had picked up Veronica's phone.

"Mrs. Mars?" he asked.

"Who is this?"

He hurried out the door of the apartment, leaving it ajar.

"This is Logan," he said. "Veronica is asleep."

There was a pause, and Logan waited for the telltale click that she had hung up. Instead, he heard a sigh.

"I was just calling to let her know that I'm okay, and that she should stop trying to find me. Can you tell her that, Logan?"

"I can, but I think you should tell her that yourself. Let me wake her up -" He started to move into the apartment, but she interrupted him.

"No," she said. "This is better. Tell her I got one of the phones she sent, but I won't tell her which one. She needs to stop looking for me. It doesn't make sense, but it will in time."

"Mrs. Mars," he said, "did you leave Neptune because someone was threatening you?"

"How do you know that?" she gasped.

"Who was threatening you?" he asked. "Who were you having an affair with?"

"Logan, I -" she paused. "I don't know who you've been talking to, but you need to leave it alone. I'm handling it. Promise me."

"Mrs. Mars, I can help. Just tell me-"

"Leave it alone, Logan. Tell Veronica I love her."

The line went dead. Logan stared at the phone a moment, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, he pressed a few buttons and erased the call from the call list. He heard the timer go off from inside the apartment. He hurried inside, set the phone on the counter, and took the cake out of the oven.

On the couch, Veronica stirred. She sat up slowly, blinked at him. She smiled.

"You finished baking the cake?" she asked.

"You know me, Susie Homemaker," he said with a grin. "I have to go. Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, shuffled towards the door.

"You should sleep more. But maybe put a scarf on...the bruises are showing."

Her hand flew up to her neck.

"Hang on," she said. "On your message, you said there was something we had to talk about."

"Later." He shook his head. When she opened her mouth, he held out a hand. "It's not urgent," he said. "We can talk about it later. Wish your dad a happy birthday."

He turned and strode out of the apartment, across the lot, and got into the XTerra.

He tried not to think about the fact that he was already breaking his promise. About the things he wasn't telling her. The things that affected her, like his information on Lianne. The things that affected him. The things that affected them both, like his information about Duncan, the reason he came over this afternoon in the first place. He would tell her all of it, eventually.

But not today. Today, the things she didn't know couldn't hurt her.

32


	6. Chapter 6: Return of Another Kane

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: Thanks for being patient while waiting for this update. As usual, work and life got in the way, and, frankly, I had a little trouble with this chapter. In the end, I think it came together, and I hope you think it was worth the wait!

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Logan learns that Lianne was having an affair with a married man whose wife threatened Lianne and ran her out of Neptune. Logan has Keith investigate Troy's background, but doesn't tell Veronica. Veronica does a background check on Logan and finds out Aaron isn't his real father, but doesn't tell him. Logan finds out how tough Veronica's life has been for the past year and gets shit-faced to drown out the guilt. A very drunk Logan spills his guts about why he was mad at Veronica, and they work together to get their hands on Lilly's unpaid ticket, revealing the time-of-death discrepancy. An enraged Troy attacks Veronica, and Logan arrives in time to do what he had wanted to do since he met the guy: beat the crap out of Troy. Logan and Veronica promise to be honest with each other. While Veronica recovers, Logan accidentally intercepts a call to Veronica from Lianne, but then deletes the evidence of the call from Veronica's cell phone and keeps it to himself.

Chapter Six: Return of Another Kane

_If there's one thing I've learned in the last year and a half, it's that nothing is exactly as it seems. Sometimes a beautiful shell holds a rotten egg. The imperfections that lie beneath the surface can be minor and forgivable, or they can be devastating and poisonous. The trick is to tell which is which…something I have yet to learn how to do._

Veronica pushed her mushy spaghetti around in the tomato juice that passed for spaghetti sauce here at Neptune High and frowned. Ever since the fiasco with the counselor, Ms. James, her dad had been a little too attentive. While Veronica had decided to make nice with the woman for her dad's sake, Keith had surprised Veronica by breaking up with her. He hadn't told Veronica why, but she had a suspicion it wasn't because of the background check, that it had more to do with Veronica's discomfort with seeing him date. Maybe that was evidence that _she_ was rotten beneath the surface. How could she be uncomfortable seeing her father happy?

Veronica gave a soggy meatball a disgusted shove and sighed.

"The meatball didn't make the cut? What's wrong with the little guy? Underweight?"

She looked up and smiled at Wallace as he slid onto the bench next to her. In the couple of months since school started, he had become a really good friend. She liked being able to count on sitting with him at lunch, at their table. She liked having someone to complain to.

"So, my dad wants to take me to the San Diego Zoo this weekend," she began, with a roll of her eyes.

"Aw, man, I love the zoo," said Wallace. He leaned in conspiratorially. "Everyone gets all excited about the monkey house, but I'm a big cat man myself."

She shook her head. "My dad's gone a little nutty with all these father-daughter days."

Wallace opened his lunch bag, glanced up at her, then down at his sandwich. He began to carefully unwrap the cellophane as he spoke. "Yeah, see...me, on the other hand, would love to go to the zoo with my dad. But...he's dead, so..."

Veronica slumped next to him. "Okay. I hate myself. Are you happy?"

Wallace beamed at her. "You bet."

She was about to ask him if he wanted to come with them when one of the many food delivery guys who wandered the lunch quad at Neptune every day, bringing hot food to the 09er princes and princesses, stopped at her table. She looked up in surprise.

"Veronica Mars?" the guy asked.

She nodded. He reached into an insulated container and pulled out several paper bags, plunking them on the table. She stared at them in confusion.

"Hang on," she said to the guy. "I didn't order anything."

"You said you were Veronica Mars," he said, looking bored.

"I am. But I didn't –"

"This order is for Veronica Mars. So unless there are two of you, this is yours."

"But I can't pay you," she said. "And –"

He shook his head. "Already paid for. Enjoy." He turned and shuffled away, shaking his head and muttering something about spoiled brats.

Veronica stared at the delivery bags. What was going on?

"You holding out on a brother?" asked Wallace. He took a deep breath. "I smell lasagna. Hot lasagna. With real Italian sausage." He reached for one of the bags, and she smacked his hand away.

She shook her head. "I didn't order this. I don't understand." She took her own whiff, and sighed. "But you're right. I think there's lasagna in there."

"What do you think _you're_ doing?" snapped a haughty voice. Veronica and Wallace looked up to see Madison Sinclair, holding two pizza boxes against her hip and glaring at them.

"Excuse me?" said Veronica. "Or, maybe I should say, 'Excuse you?'"

The snipe went over Madison's head. She gestured at the take out bags and thrust her nose into the air. Veronica could see up her nostrils as they flared in and out. With Madison, at least what you saw was exactly what you got.

"You're not _allowed_ delivery," Madison said. "_You_ don't have any Pirate Points."

Veronica was about to tell her to go to hell, when someone plopped down on the bench on the other side of her table. When she saw who it was, her Madison-retort turned into a "Huh?"

Logan grinned at her and reached for one of the takeout bags. "Hello, Veronica. Hello, Wallace." He looked up at Madison. "Get lost, Madison."

Veronica's mouth dropped open. She had certainly heard him be nasty to his own kind before, but not in favor of her. At least not in recent history.

Madison was also gaping at Logan. "What are _you_ doing?" she asked.

"I'm trying to enjoy _my_ delivery from Luigi's. Scurry along, you're breathing in all the yummy smells."

He then turned back to Veronica and Wallace and ignored Madison's continued presence. He busied himself opening the bags and setting containers out between the three of them.

"There's lasagna, manicotti, chicken parm, and mushroom ravioli. And plenty of garlic bread. Wallace, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got Veronica's favorites. I figure we can have whatever she doesn't scarf down in the first five minutes." He winked.

Wallace laughed. Veronica frowned. Madison let out a huff and stomped away.

"What are you doing?" Veronica asked, realizing too late that she was echoing Madison's earlier question.

Logan looked at her, the picture of innocence. "Eating lunch. Pick your poison."

"No, I mean –"

"Logan!" called Dick, jogging over from across the quad. "I think you're lost, dude."

"I'm not lost," said Logan. "I'm about to eat lunch with Veronica and Wallace."

Dick looked at Veronica, who was staring back at him. She nearly laughed at the utter confusion on his face, until she realized she probably had the same look on hers. Finally, he shrugged.

"Okay," he said, and slid onto the bench next to Logan. He grabbed the sack with the garlic rolls and pulled one out, shoving it in his mouth. "Hey Veronica's fro-tastic friend, I hear you play basketball," he said around the roll.

"Hang on a minute," Veronica began, but Logan cut her off.

"Just eat your lasagna." He shoved a container towards her. "We don't want it to get cold."

He winked at her, and after a moment, she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. The lasagna did smell amazing. After getting over his shock, Wallace had launched into a discussion with Dick about Neptune's basketball team. She opened the container of lasagna, and they all dug in.

Suddenly, there was a shriek from the other side of the quad. They all looked up to see Wanda Varner standing atop an 09er table with her combat boots planted squarely in the middle of Madison Sinclair's pizzas. Vice Principal Van Clemmons stood to the side, his arms folded across his chest.

"Wanda! Be so kind as to follow me to my office," he barked, and Wanda stomped down from the table and past him into the building.

"Who was that?" asked Wallace from beside Veronica.

"That? Is Wanda Varner," Veronica replied. Dick cut in.

"Madison got all pissy because Wanda had Chinese delivered and she isn't allowed so Madison told on her," he explained. "I guess Wanda took the more direct approach to ruining Madison's lunch."

Veronica exchanged a look with Logan. He shrugged, and took another bite of his ravioli.

That night, after convincing her father that sundaes for dinner was a perfectly acceptable and respectable approach to nutrition, Veronica settled into the armchair in front of the television. The news was on. She was considering changing the channel when the announcer said something that caught her attention.

"The Lilly Kane murder case took an unexpected turn this morning," the announcer was saying, "as convicted killer Abel Koontz fired his public appointed legal counsel. Forfeiting further appeals, the defendant is scheduled to die by lethal injection as early as next year…"

Veronica watched, mesmerized, as the station aired old footage of the Koontz arrest from a year earlier. Sheriff Lamb exited Koontz's houseboat and proudly held up two evidence bags, containing the backpack and sneakers that had been found on the boat.

Veronica looked up at her dad. "Why would he do that?" she asked.

"I guess he's ready to die," Keith said with a sad shrug.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan grabbed for the remote and jammed his thumb at the on/off button until the announcer was silenced.

Seeing the footage from the Koontz arrest used to make him happy – or, not happy, exactly, but satisfied that Lilly's killer was behind bars. Of course Jake Kane was innocent, because now they had the real killer. Lilly could rest in peace, because now they had the real killer. He could hate Veronica and her father because Lamb had found the real killer. Only, that was then. Now, he was just left feeling confused and slightly sick.

If Abel Koontz didn't kill Lilly, then who the hell did?

Logan had to admit that the time-of-death discrepancy was what led to this unsettled feeling. His concession that Keith Mars had pretty good instincts had only allowed for the possibility that Koontz was innocent. But the fact that Lilly had clearly been alive two hours after her supposed time of death was a problem. It was a problem because, while Veronica hadn't yet shared her thoughts on the matter, Logan knew what the obvious explanation was and who the obvious culprits were and their obvious motives.

Now, he pushed himself off of his bed and wandered onto his balcony. The backyard glimmered blue from the lights shining in the pool. His mother was doing laps. He liked it when she was swimming at night, because it meant she wasn't drunk or high.

"I've always admired your mom and her dedication to keeping sexy."

Logan whirled to his left, his jaw dropping and his breath caught somewhere in his chest. Leaning against his balcony, in a little red miniskirt and black tube top, her blonde hair streaming behind her, was Lilly. She gazed longingly at Lynn Echolls gliding through the water below before turning to Logan and grinning at him, her eyes flashing with mischief and amusement.

"I know, right? I'm totally hot in this. Though there was some question about color choice…something about not understanding the connotations or whatever. I blew it off."

Lilly pushed off the balcony and spun around, ending in a sassy pose, one hip cocked to the side.

Logan finally managed to close his mouth and swallowed hard. "Lilly?" he asked in a raw whisper. He reached out a hand towards her, and she took a step backwards, giggling.

"Now now, that's not allowed, and I'm guessing you know that." She edged around him and scooted into his bedroom, flopping onto his bed, her arms spread around her. He followed her into the room and watched as the bed bounced up and down, as if she had substantial weight.

"Why are you…how are you here?" Logan asked. He was afraid to move closer, afraid to speak too loudly, afraid she would disappear. His stomach rolled and twisted, elation entangled with grief entangled with fear.

She sat up, shrugged. "How? That's a question I can't answer. Why? Because I wanted to see you. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't miss you."

"But…" Logan trailed off, then chose another direction. "Can anyone else see you? Or just me?"

"Just you, right now," she said.

"Have you…um…have you ever, you know, visited anyone else?"

She smiled softly. "I see Veronica a lot," she said. "Sometimes she knows I'm there, sometimes she doesn't. We talk a little. A few weeks ago, Duncan let me in, for a few minutes, but mostly he shuts me out. I'm not sure if he knows I'm trying to see him or not. Anyway, how are you?"

He thought about that. "I'm better," he said. "I miss you. I'm still a little pissed at you, but…it doesn't really matter."

"Want to tell me off? I can pretend to be angry too, if it will help. We always knew how to fight. And make up. Making up with you was one of my favorite things in the world to do."

He laughed. He couldn't help it. "No," he said. "I don't want to tell you off. Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away, lover."

"Why haven't you come before? Why now? I've spent the last year wishing I could see you again, talk to you. Why didn't you come then, when I needed you?"

He sat on the edge of the bed, within feet of her, but careful not to try to touch her again. He didn't want to break any rules, or destroy the hallucination, or whatever this was.

"Because things have changed now," she said. "Before, you thought everything was settled. You were comfortable, content with explanations or whatever. And now you're uneasy. Like me."

"Explanations. Like about who killed you?"

Lilly shrugged and tilted her head at him with a coy smile.

"Does that mean Abel Koontz didn't kill you?"

"Like I told Veronica a half hour ago, I wish I could tell you." She jumped up from the bed, dashed to the balcony doors. "I gotta run."

"Wait." Logan stood up, moved towards her. "Are you coming back?"

She leaned against the doorframe, wiggled her shoulders. "I could never really stay away from you. I always came back when I was still alive, didn't I?" She strolled out onto the balcony, and then looked over her shoulder. "And Logan, she didn't deserve it. What you guys did to her. Fix it."

He knew without asking that she was talking about Veronica. "I'm trying," he said. "If you've been watching, you know I'm trying. She's…stubborn."

Lilly laughed, and the sound calmed Logan's beating pulse, forcing a grin onto his face. "I'm a very good teacher," she said. "Try harder. Peace, lover."

And she was gone.

The next morning, Logan still hadn't decided whether his visit from Lilly had been a lucid dream, a hallucination, or…and he could barely bring himself to believe it…real. Maybe it was his subconscious working out issues over his recent acknowledgement that maybe the case of who killed Lilly Kane wasn't quite solved. Maybe being around Veronica again made him miss Lilly more, as if her death was raw and fresh, and his mind created her image out of sheer desire.

Or maybe Lilly Kane was haunting him.

That wouldn't be such a surprise, really, once he got past the idea that such a thing was possible. Of course Lilly would be into haunting people. She wouldn't want to be forgotten, and might even revel a little in knowing she would stay – in image at least – young and beautiful forever.

So Logan sat in newspaper class, mulling this over and trying to decide whether or not to bring it up to Veronica. Ghost-Lilly had said she visited Veronica, but if it was a hallucination or a dream, then Veronica would think Logan was nuts.

Which he just might be.

He looked over at Veronica, who was talking to Ms. Dent. He tuned in, and heard Veronica agree to write up the student council election.

On the monitors mounted above their heads, the Neptune High announcer mentioned the elections and a video from a candidate. He glanced up and then focused when he saw that it was none other than Wanda Varner.

"I'm Wanda Varner, and I'm running for the office of student council president," on-screen Wanda said over background rock music. "Let's be honest. Student government doesn't do jack. I'm here to promise you real change. If elected, I promise to abolish the unfair and elitist Pirate Points program for good."

Logan sat up straight. No Pirate Points? He didn't like the sound of that.

"God bless you and God bless America," Wanda finished with a salute. The classroom erupted mostly into applause, although some of the 09ers were looking at each other warily. Veronica, Logan noted, was clapping. So was Duncan, albeit a little tentatively and with quick glances at Veronica.

Logan leaned over to Duncan. "Hey dude," he said, "can she do that?"

Duncan shrugged. "Student council giveth, student council taketh away," he said.

"No, we're not giving up those points, man." He got an idea. "You've got to run."

Duncan raised a brow at him and frowned. "Actually," he said, "I don't." His tone was final.

Logan opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when he spotted Veronica. She had gotten up from her seat and was in the doorway to the classroom, waving at him. When she saw she had his attention, she pointed to the classroom and mouthed "Meet me after class." He nodded and she smiled, then dashed off.

When he turned back to his best friend, he saw that Duncan was also watching Veronica leave. After a minute, Duncan spoke. "What's going on with you and Veronica?" he asked, his voice a little too casual.

"Nothing," Logan said quickly. "I mean, nothing really."

"You ate lunch with her yesterday."

"I did," Logan said carefully. "I told you that I didn't want to fight with her anymore. I think we – I – went a little too far for too long, and I'm trying to, I don't know, fix it."

"Buying her lasagna is a pretty good bet. Feeding her in general, in fact."

Logan laughed, pleased that Duncan seemed to be joking with him about it. Then he got serious. "Listen, I didn't mean to keep you out of the loop. You said you didn't want to hang out with her, so…that's all."

"So you're friends again?"

"Something like that," muttered Logan.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

As the bell rang, Veronica hurried in from the quad and back to the journalism classroom. She had just finished interviewing Wanda Varner, and was surprised at how much she had appreciated both what the girl had had to say and also her spirit. They had been friends once. Maybe they could be again.

_That seems to be a theme these days, Veronica. What in the world are you thinking, trying to partner up with Logan Echolls?_

What indeed. She could hardly believe what she was about to do, but after some hard thinking, and after their conversation the night they discovered Lilly's ticket, she had reached a decision. She'd make the offer, and see what he did with it.

When she reached the classroom, she found Logan slouched in a chair, surfing the internet at one of the computers. He glanced up as she walked in, closed the browser window, and reached over to pull out the chair beside him. He gestured to the chair with a flourish.

She sat. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Waiting for you. I thought you wanted to talk to me."

"I do." She waved a hand at the computer screen, which was now showing the Neptune High desktop. "Why were you looking up causes of memory loss?"

"I can't remember."

She started to protest and then caught the mischievous glint in his eye and the familiar smirk on his lips. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"God, you should really go on tour," she said with a too-enthusiastic smile and a peppy tone. "The comedy stylings of Logan Echolls, ladies and gentlemen." She clapped her hands.

He laughed. "I'll tell you about it later. Not here."

She frowned. "All right, but that's two things you have to tell me later."

"Two?"

"Whatever you came to tell me the day Troy…dropped in unexpectedly…and now this."

"Actually, they're related," said Logan. He shook his head when she opened her mouth. "Later. I promise. What did _you_ want to talk to _me_ about?"

"Well. I was thinking about what I asked you to do."

He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"Being honest with me. I guess it's only fair that I be honest with you in return."

"That does sound…fair," he said cautiously.

"So here it is. I'm still looking into Lilly's death. You know that. Do you want to be involved? If you do, then I'll tell you what I know. If you don't, then we can forget about it, and that's an area that doesn't count in our honesty bargain."

He was watching her carefully now, his eyes intent on hers. Neither of them said anything for at least a minute. Finally, she sat back in her chair and shook her head.

"Look, forget I asked. I just thought, you knew her as well as I did but in different ways. We might be able to figure something out if we're working together. You have access to people and places I don't – without resorting to disguises. But I completely understand if you –"

"Veronica." Logan cut her off. He was smiling at her. "Yes. The answer is yes. I want to be involved."

She nodded. "Okay. I don't want to get into this here. Come to the office after school, and we'll talk."

"Veronica?" he called as she shouldered her bag and headed for the door. She looked over her shoulder.

"What?"

"Do you want beef or chicken in your tacos?"

She laughed. "Surprise me."

After school, Veronica drove to Mars Investigations and settled in at her desk, opening her laptop and queuing up the investigation program where she was keeping all of the files on the Lilly Kane case. She hadn't decided what she was going to show Logan yet.

The real question was, how much did she trust Logan Echolls?

At lunch, he had sat with her and Wallace again, bearing Mexican food. To her surprise, Dick had once again joined them, along with his little brother Beaver, who spent most of his time laughing nervously at things Dick said and shooting shy glances at Veronica. Dick and Wallace once again bonded over sports, and this time Logan joined in, offering to take Wallace surfing. For the most part, Dick ignored Veronica, but that seemed to work well for them both.

Logan was on his best behavior. Could she take it at face value that it was exactly what he said it was? That he wanted to be friends again, and that he wanted to help find Lilly's real killer? His drunken confessions the night she picked him and Duncan up had seemed genuine, and he _had_ helped her get Lilly's ticket. Not to mention the fact that he saved her from Troy.

So…she didn't know. She'd have to see.

A few minutes later, the door to the office opened and Logan strode in. He looked around.

"You know," he said, "I usually avoid buildings with stained glass."

"Ah," she said, nodding. "So that's why you haven't come to visit."

She glanced around the office, trying to see it for the first time as he was. When she looked back at him, he was smirking at her, his hands in his pockets.

"What?" she asked, rubbing her face and patting her hair, checking for something embarrassing.

"You asked me here, remember?" He sauntered over and slid into one of the chairs across the desk. "You didn't want to talk at school. Look, here we are, not at school. It's like magic."

She leaned back in her own chair, folded her arms across her chest, and studied him. It was now or never, she guessed.

"There are conditions to this, Logan."

"This being?"

"Us…working together. Continuing the investigation into Lilly's death. If you can't agree to the conditions, we'll go our separate ways and forget about it."

He was quiet for a moment, and she raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. "Let's hear them. The conditions."

"First, I'm in charge." She held up a finger when he looked like he was about to protest. "I have more experience than you do. We can talk about options, but at the end of the day I get the tie-breaking vote."

He rolled his eyes. "You expect me to just agree to be your assistant? I don't do 'assistant' well."

"No kidding," she said with a smirk of her own. "This means that if I say I'm going to do something, you can try to convince me of a different course of action, but you are not allowed to let the air out of my tires to force things to go your way."

"I'll agree to the concept that you're running the investigation," he said, leaning forward, "as long as you agree to _my_ condition."

"Which is?"

"You discuss _everything_ with me, _before_ you do it. I don't want to find out from Wallace that you ran headlong into a dangerous situation on your own. Call me _first_. And I reserve the right to track you down if you don't."

She frowned. She supposed it wasn't unreasonable. She could agree, and if there was an exception…she could handle that later.

"Fine," she said with a nod. "I'll give you a heads up, and the opportunity to disagree before I do anything, if possible."

Looking satisfied, he sat back in his chair once more. "Are there other conditions? It sounded like you had a list."

"I do. Second, we're searching for answers here. We're not trying to prove that someone did or did not do this, we're just looking for the truth. Even if we don't like what we find."

She knew he heard what she _hadn't_ said, which was that, if it turned out that Jake Kane had something to do with his daughter's death, she wasn't going to brush it under the rug. She wasn't sure what she expected his answer to be, but she didn't expect his easy agreement.

"Done," he said.

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes at him, and he laughed.

"The truth. If it turns out that Abel Koontz is the real killer, then you have to let this go."

Well, that was fair. She nodded.

"Anything else?"

"One more thing. We can't tell anyone we're doing this. Not your parents, not Duncan, not Dick. No one."

"Wallace?"

She scrunched her nose. "Let's say no for now, but he may be useful later. But no for now."

"Your dad?"

"_Especially_ not my Dad," she said, shaking her head vigorously. "He'll say it's dangerous, and we should let it go, and it would be harder for us to get anything done. And if he knew, he would make doubly sure that I couldn't access any of _his_ files, and right now that's most of what I've got."

"Okay," he said with a smirk. "It'll be our little secret."

"Speaking of secrets," she said, "tell me what you've been keeping from me."

She thought she saw panic cross his eyes before they settled back into amusement.

"Well, I think you have some things to reveal, too," he said. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Gross," she said, but she was laughing, too. "Don't ever do that again."

He leaned forward, serious now, and rested his elbows on the desk. "So I found something out, kind of by accident, but I don't know what it means. I'm telling you, but I don't want it going anywhere else, because it looks bad. Swear that it stays between us."

Veronica frowned. "We already promised that."

"I know, but…" he ran a hand through his hair, and swallowed. "Okay. I was talking to Duncan the other day, after we found out about the ticket. I was thinking that it was kind of odd that he hadn't said anything about it. I mean, it was dated the day Lilly died. It caught our attention, why didn't it catch his?"

"And? Logan, did you tell him about the ticket? The time of death? This is what I was talking about. You can't just—" She threw up her hands, but he reached across the desk and grabbed one of her wrists. She froze.

"Hey. Dial it down a second, okay?"

She yanked her wrist away, and took a deep breath. After a moment, she looked to him to continue.

"I didn't mention that we got the ticket, or the time of death. He actually brought it up, said he had paid it off and it was hundreds of dollars, that kind of thing. I asked him if he was sure it wasn't his, and he said he was sure because he didn't start driving that car until after she died. So he clearly knew the ticket was from before."

"So? Logan, we were all there when the deputy said the date. This isn't that strange."

"I haven't gotten to the strange part yet. I told him if he ever wanted to talk about what happened that day, I'd listen. I told him that you and I had finally talked about it, and that I should have said something before. He thanked me, but said there wasn't much to talk about. Because he didn't remember the day she died, or the next couple of days, either."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan waited patiently for the information to sink in. Veronica stared at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. Finally, she seemed to get a grip on herself.

"He remembers nothing?" she asked.

Logan shrugged. "I didn't want him to wonder why I was asking. So I didn't press." He thought of something. "Hey, didn't you see him that night? At the house?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He was the reason I left my dad's car. I saw him sitting on a bench, and I knew something was wrong. So I ran over, and he was kind of rocking back and forth and staring off into space. I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't respond. When I asked where Lilly was, he finally looked at me, and the pain in his eyes was clear. I left him there, and ran for the pool."

"That fits, then," Logan said. "What does it mean?"

"Maybe nothing," Veronica said. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe he was exaggerating when he said he didn't remember, or maybe he just didn't want to talk to you. Or maybe he's blocked it out because it's too painful."

He watched as she turned to her laptop, clicked the mouse a few times, and began to type.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He got up from his chair and came around the desk. She tried to close something, but he caught a glimpse of what looked like images of manila folders. He stared hard at her. "Seriously? I show you mine, you show me yours, remember?"

She sighed, and then turned the computer so he could see it better. It looked like some sort of investigation program. At the top, he saw "Lilly Kane Murder Investigation" and below that were several images of folders, like he thought. They each had a name in the center. Jake Kane, Celeste Kane, Duncan Kane, Abel Koontz, and…Logan shot up straight.

"What the hell is my name doing on one of those files?" he demanded, glaring at her.

"Logan—"

"No, hang on a second. Do you trust me? Because I thought you asked me to work with you because you decided I wasn't a total lost cause."

"Logan—"

"I don't understand how this can work if you're investigating me too. Care to explain?" During his questions, he backed away from her, and came up against the wall. He edged around the desk and towards the door. "Maybe I should go."

"No." Veronica jumped to her feet. "Will you sit down, and listen?"

He hesitated. Her eyes pleaded with him not to run out. He had run away from her before, and he wasn't going to do that again. With a sigh, he returned to the chair. She relaxed.

"I have a file on everybody. You saw that. Even Duncan."

"Yeah."

"You were an obvious suspect, Logan. The jealous boyfriend who had just been dumped."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Do you honestly think I could have killed her? That I could…hurt someone like that, let alone Lilly? I _loved_ Lilly."

He tried not to think about the fact that a violent tendency was probably hereditary. The bottom line was that he never would have hurt Lilly, just like he'd never be able to hurt Veronica. If she didn't believe that, then maybe he shouldn't be so sure either.

"Have a look," she said. When he opened his eyes, she had turned the computer around to face him. Cautiously, he leaned forward and moved the mouse to open the file with his name on it. He read about his possible motive – jealousy, fit of rage – and his alibi – with Dick and Beaver in Tijuana for the weekend. At the bottom of the document, it read:

_"Alibi holds up, Casablancas brothers tell an identical story. Anyway, I can't really believe Logan would hurt Lilly."_

As he read the words, he felt something untwist in his stomach and he started breathing again even though he hadn't realized he had been holding his breath.

"I was just being thorough," she said softly. "The only reason there isn't a file on me is because I know I didn't do it."

He swallowed. She was right that he hadn't done it, but she was wrong about the alibi. He considered telling her the truth about that. If they were being honest with each other about things, he should really just come clean. But then he should also probably tell her about following her to Arizona, and the call from Lianne, and what he knew about her disappearance.

He couldn't handle that right then. Soon, but not yet.

He met her eyes. "Yeah," he said. "Well, thanks for not really believing I'm a murderer."

"You're welcome." They were quiet another minute, and then she took the computer back. "You can read through these later. Right now, however, I want you to see something."

She stood and beckoned for him to follow her into her dad's office. He did, but hovered in the doorway.

"Where is Sheriff Mars, anyway?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe and shoving his hands in his pockets. Veronica had crossed to the far corner of the room and was crouching in front of a floor safe.

"Hmm? Oh, he's out on a case. I don't expect him—" She looked over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. "Crap," she said. She jumped up and dashed to the door, pushing Logan out of Keith's office. "Move!" she whispered, shoving harder.

He stumbled backwards. Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Veronica's shoulders, intending to steady himself. Just then the backs of his legs hit the arm of the sofa, and he stumbled backwards, bringing a squealing Veronica with him. He landed on his back and she landed on top of him. They both let out a painful "oof."

He shook his head to clear it and focused on Veronica's face, inches from his. Her eyes were wide and panicked, but the panic cleared after a moment, replaced by…curiosity? She didn't get up immediately, and her small form rose and fell with their combined breaths. Without thinking, he slid his hands down her arms and over her back, and their breath caught in unison.

They lay there, semi-paralyzed, for what seemed like hours but was more likely fractions of a second. Fractions, because he suddenly heard the footsteps – the ones that had caused this to begin with – approach the door. With a strangled yelp, Veronica shoved against him and wiggled as she struggled to right herself.

Logan froze, and then grabbed her shoulders and pushed her up, if only to stop her from squirming on top of him. He had just managed to sit up himself, and she had backed up to lean against the desk, when the door opened and Keith Mars strolled in. He stopped, surprised.

"Hello, Logan," he said. "What brings you here? Hi, honey." Keith crossed the room and kissed Veronica's cheek.

"We're working on a school project," she said. "Should be a good one. If we don't manage to kill each other in the meantime."

Logan rolled his eyes. "She's funny. You've raised a funny daughter, Sheriff." He pushed himself to his feet. "Well, Veronica Mars, as lovely as this is, I should be going. Family dinner tonight, and I have my own homework."

He shot her a grin, and, after a moment, she smiled back. "See you tomorrow," she said.

He backed out of the office with a salute to Keith, who was watching them with interest.

The next morning, at the beginning of journalism class, there was a small buzz in the room as the students discussed the impending student council election. Logan sat casually at one of the tables, twirling a pencil in his fingers. He was watching Duncan, who was sitting next to him, intent on editing an article.

Logan wondered if, after what was about to happen happened, his best friend would strangle him, punch him, or simply hit him over the head with something heavy. Just in case, he slid out of his chair and stepped away slightly. Duncan didn't look up.

The class sat through another boring predictable campaign video from some brown-noser who didn't hold a chance against the larger-than-life Wanda Varner. When the next video started, however, everyone sat up a little straighter. Including Duncan. That was probably because the video started with someone saying his name.

Logan watched Duncan as Aaron Echolls' voice carried across the room. In voiceover, he extolled Duncan's virtues and leadership qualities as photos of Duncan on the soccer field and running the Navigator faded in and out of focus on the screen. Duncan frowned over his shoulder at Logan.

Logan grinned back, holding up the sign of victory with both hands. But he took another step backward.

Now Aaron himself was onscreen, casually seated on the steps of a costume trailer, grinning out at the audience. Logan shook his head. Asshole or not, his father certainly knew how to sell a crowd.

When the video ended, Logan clapped heartily. Duncan rolled his eyes and then glared at Logan again.

"Whatever you do," he said to the room, "Don't vote for me."

"He's humble, too!" said Logan, deciding it was safe and approaching to clap Duncan on the back.

Madison sauntered in with the ballot instructions and wished Duncan good luck. Logan took his scantron ballot and marked the bubble for letter A in the President slot. If things went well, they wouldn't lose a single Pirate Point and Wanda Varner would go back to being a disenfranchised weirdo.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_Okay, Logan. What are you up to? Is it just that you don't want to lose your precious Pirate Points? Then why didn't you run for President? Why did you foist it on Duncan?_

That afternoon, at Mars Investigations once again, Veronica stared across the desk at Logan. He stared back with a look of casual amusement. This went on for several minutes. Veronica willed herself not to look at the clock. Not to look away at all. She wasn't going to crack first.

Finally, without taking his eyes off of hers, Logan spoke. "A man who has never made a woman angry is a failure in life. Christopher Morley."

She blinked, and then let out a snort of laughter. "Then I suppose that makes you a great success?"

"Many times over. And look how young I am."

She rolled her eyes. "You're a complete freak."

"So you've said. Are we done with this now? Can we get to work?"

"I still want to know why you signed Duncan up for the election without his permission – and so we're revisiting this – but we probably _should_ get to work," she said, glancing at the clock. "Dad's up in Santa Barbara tailing a cheating housewife. He called from there an hour ago, so we should have time, but after yesterday…"

She met Logan's eyes and then looked away, not wanting to dwell on that ridiculous tangle on the sofa. She didn't want to know what he thought about it, but she didn't want him to see the truth in her eyes: for a second, she had forgotten they were in the middle of panicking and had nearly kissed him again. How embarrassing. And horrifying. And completely nonsensical.

She stood and hurried into her Dad's office and over to the safe, intending to pick up where they left off yesterday. She had been going to show him Dad's Lilly Kane file. She didn't expect him to read the whole thing, but she wanted him to know what he was getting into.

She spun the combination lock, and opened the door to the safe, revealing the fat file. She heaved it out and, after a moment's indecision, brought it out into the main office area. Dad was at least three hours away. He couldn't teleport, for God's sake.

"Woah," said Logan. "That's your Dad's file?"

She nodded. "Yes. And he doesn't know I know the combo to the safe or that I know he's still investigating. Remember that. I'm not even sure if he's supposed to have some of this stuff. I think it's all his working copies from when he was Sheriff – the main file must be stored away at the Department – but I'm not totally sure about that, so we have to be careful not to alter or ruin any of it."

He nodded. "Got it, Chief." His eyes ran over the bulging file. "Where do we start?"

She shrugged. "Well, I've looked at the whole thing. A few times. But it's always good to look again." She pulled out a folder near the front and handed it to him. "Here," she said. "This is the initial incident report. The coroner's report will be in there, and a bunch of other things. Start there."

He took the folder from her, but didn't open it. He held it in his hands, ran his fingers over Lilly's name at the top.

"Hey," she said softly. "You don't have to do this. If you don't want to. I can just…give you the highlights." She hadn't thought about what it would be like for him, to read about her death, all cold and clinical. To see the photos of her body, of all the blood. She knew he had seen the crime scene video, but that was a while ago. This would be fresh, and raw, and hard. She still had trouble keeping it together, and only managed because her desire to bring Lilly's killer to justice was stronger than her desire to steer clear of reminders of her death. Logan didn't necessarily have that driving motivation.

He continued to sit there, holding the folder. Worried, she came around the desk and put her hand on his shoulder. His head jerked up. His eyes were wide and dark, but it didn't feel like he was looking _at_ her, like he was seeing her at all.

"Logan," she said. Finally, his eyes focused. He shook his head and blinked. Then he ducked his head.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm fine." He waved her away, and opened the file. She watched him, and even though he appeared to swallow hard every thirty seconds or so, she thought he was going to be all right. She returned to her side of the desk.

After two hours, she stood up and stretched.

"I don't know how many times I have to look at this stuff," she said with a sigh.

"Until it makes sense," he suggested.

"Yeah." She peered at the pile of documents in front of him. There was the edge of a manila folder peeking out from underneath them. "What are you looking at?"

"Uh…" he glanced down, then up. "An inventory of Lilly's room. Seeing this stuff all listed out here is…weird. Skirts she wore to school, books, jewelry I gave her…"

He trailed off.

"I know," she said. "What's in that envelope?"

He saw what she was looking at and pulled it out. "Crime scene photos. Of the bedroom, it looks like."

She reached for it. "I don't think I've ever seen that. Where did that come from?"

Instead of handing it over, he unfastened the flap and pulled out a set of photos of, sure enough, Lilly's bedroom. He flipped through them, and she came around the desk to look over his shoulder.

"Slow down," she complained. "You're going too – hey." She reached out and grabbed one of the photos as he was about to slide it to the back of the stack. She peered at it. "But that's…"

Logan pulled her arm down so he could see what she was looking at. She stared off into space, wondering if what she had just seen had any explanation.

"Wait a second," said Logan, drawing her attention back. He gestured to the photo. "These are –"

"Impossible," she said. Did he notice it too?

He was nodding. He pointed at the photo. "These shoes. They're the ones found on Koontz's boat. I saw a clip of the arrest the other night, and Lamb was holding an evidence bag—"

"I saw it too," she said. "Definitely those shoes."

Their eyes met, and she wondered if he was also thinking about the day she had decorated those shoes for Lilly…with Duncan's name in a pink heart. They were definitely the same shoes, because that heart was visible in both the crime scene photo and the arrest clip.

"So, if the shoes were here, after Lilly…was found, in order to be photographed, then how did they end up on Koontz's boat several weeks later?" Logan asked. His voice carried a hint of trepidation, as if he knew the answer and didn't want to speak it himself.

"How indeed," she said.

"What does this mean, Veronica?"

"It means…that it's one more thing that doesn't make sense about Koontz being the killer. I don't know beyond that."

She went back around the desk and picked up the phone, then called the television station and, pretending to be a journalism student doing a project, ordered a copy of the clip.

"To confirm," she said to Logan, after hanging up.

"The fact that you lie so easily and so convincingly has me a bit worried," he said, but he was smiling appreciatively.

With a glance at the clock, she gestured for him to hand over the files. "Let's pack this up," she said. "I don't want to take any chances of my dad finding us."

They put the file back in order, and she returned it to the safe. When she came back, Logan was on the phone.

"No, man," he was saying. "Yeah, I might be a little late, but I'll be there. No, just wait for me."

He hung up and turned to her.

"What was that about?" she asked. "Do you have to be somewhere?"

"Sort of."

"We're done for today anyway. I should probably head home and start dinner." She began to pack up her bag.

"I thought I heard your stomach growling a few minutes ago. It was either that or a grizzly bear in pain hiding under the desk." Logan smirked at her and backed towards the door. "See you tomorrow, I guess. Big day. Election results." He made a show of crossing his fingers and looking hopeful.

She sighed. "Why did you do it, Logan? Duncan clearly isn't interested in running. Why would you put him in that position? Not that he's going to win, because Wanda is, but if he did, he'd be stuck with the job."

He shrugged. "Wanda wants to take away Pirate Points. Those other losers weren't going to beat her. But everyone loves Duncan."

"So you might lose your precious food delivery. Boo-hoo, cry me a river. A little cafeteria food isn't going to kill you."

"It might. The lunch lady always looks at me funny. And besides, you get the benefit of Pirate Points now, too." He raised his eyebrows. "It seemed to me like you really enjoyed your pad thai today. Or did I just imagine seeing you lick the peanut sauce out of the corner of the container?"

"Fine, I have enjoyed lunch the past few days. I've thanked you. But I've spent the last year dealing with the cafeteria food, and I can go back to doing that. That's not the point. This isn't fair to Duncan."

"What is it with that guy?" asked Logan, throwing his hands up. "I mean, I chose him to run because everyone loves him, but I would think at least you would be a little immune to the Golden Boy charm after everything that's happened. Be honest, Veronica. You voted for him, didn't you?"

"Actually, I didn't," said Veronica. "Still, if you wanted to challenge Wanda, you should have run. The 09ers would have voted for you."

"The 09ers would have voted for whomever I told them to vote for."

"And that's a sad commentary on the next generation of voters with disposable income…"

"Veronica, the 09ers are a minority. That's not enough votes to win. But lots of people like Duncan."

She shook her head. "You're so afraid of upsetting the status quo," she said. "Poor Logan Echolls, born with a silver spoon and a silver tongue, desperately afraid of rising and falling on his own merit."

He blinked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that you shouldn't be afraid to shake things up a little. See who your real friends are. See how you'd fare in the real world, without your parents and your fame and your money and your friends to put you head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Why didn't you run?"

"I told you," he said through gritted teeth. "People wouldn't vote for me."

"You don't know that. What if you had made your own campaign, offered to keep Pirate Points and make them available to more people. You've got a way with words, Logan. You should use your powers for good sometimes instead of evil. Instead you hide behind Duncan, and your…dad."

She stumbled over the last word, and immediately flinched, hoping he hadn't noticed. He was staring at her, and she couldn't quite figure out the look on his face. It was a cross between annoyance and disbelief and…something else. After a moment, he turned.

"Whatever, Veronica. May the best candidate win." He tossed the comment over his shoulder and stomped out of the office.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next night, Logan pulled the XTerra through the front gates of the Echolls estate and parked at the end of the drive. He left the car and walked quietly up to the house, not wanting to draw any attention to his arrival if he could help it.

He had royally fucked up this time.

The night before, after leaving Mars Investigations, he had gone to meet Dick and some of the other guys — not Duncan, of course — at the beach. He had been a little thrown by what Veronica had said. Did she really think he could have won the election if he had run himself and put some effort into it? She had said he had a "silver tongue" and a "way with words." Was that true?

He was also thrown by what they had been doing. Looking at the police reports, the crime scene photos, had been hard. He had tried to hide it, but he thought Veronica noticed. She had only commented at the beginning, but then had backed off and let him go at his own pace. He had appreciated that. But it had been hard.

What he needed was exactly what he found at the beach. Beer, buddies...and an amateur boxing match they had put together by paying homeless guys to fight. He had cleaned up, his sponsored guys doing well and netting him a fat wad of cash at the end of the night. Everyone had had fun, the guys had gotten paid, and he went home feeling pretty good again.

That day, at lunch, it got even better when Van Clemmons announced that Duncan had won the election. For some reason, a few hours later, he had come back on the loudspeaker to announce that there had been a mistake, and that there would be a run-off between Duncan and Wanda the following day.

And then everything went to hell. Dick had called him over to see a video on the Smoking Gun website, and it turned out to be a video of the fight, with Logan front and center cheering it on. What was worse, it was on a page with his father's picture, and the headline screamed, "A-Lister's Link to Twisted Pastime." The article described how he had organized a "bum fight," and questioned his father's knowledge of his son's activities.

Seeing that, Logan's stomach had turned to ice. He had no hope that Aaron wouldn't find out...his father had a staff of PR specialists who crawled the internet looking for articles about him. Logan knew that as soon as he got home, his father would...

So he didn't go home right away. Instead, he hung out with Duncan. At first, Duncan was still annoyed about the whole election thing, but when Logan apologized, and described the conversation he had had with Veronica, Duncan perked up.

"She suggested making Pirate Points available for other activities?" asked Duncan. "Like...newspaper and stuff?"

"I guess," said Logan. "She didn't go into it. But the point was to make it so that people besides the 09ers could earn them."

"It's not a bad idea," said Duncan.

Now, Logan had waited as long as he could. With any luck, his father would be in bed, and Logan could get out in the morning before he woke up. It was just postponing the inevitable, but postponing was better than the alternative. Maybe he could postpone until Aaron took off again this weekend for another film shoot. Aaron tended to lose interest in things eventually.

"Take off your shoes."

Logan whirled around on hearing the whisper, but didn't see anyone. He stood still, waiting. It had sounded like –

"Logan. Take off your shoes. You tend to stomp when you think you're being quiet."

He whirled again, and there she stood. Lilly. This time, she was wearing a long blue sundress. He couldn't help but smile. He had always loved her in blue.

"Hey," he said. "You came back."

"I told you I would, didn't I?" She approached him, swishing her hips from side to side. "You've been a bad boy, Logan. But then, that's why I loved you. I was a bad girl. Together, we were...good."

"You weren't bad," he said.

"Shhhh," she warned, touching her finger to her lips, her eyes wide.

"You were just...fun," he said, more quietly.

"Aww," she made a pouty face, and tilted her head to the side. "You're such a sweetie. But also kind of an idiot. No offense."

He grinned. "I was an idiot for you."

"And I was a bitch. I'm sorry, you know."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for."

She grinned back. "Look at you, maturing before my very eyes. It's good, what you're doing with Veronica. You know that, right? You know she appreciates it."

He shrugged. "I hope so. I hope that she'll let us be friends again."

"I hope so too. You never got to see how much fun she really was, beneath that prim little exterior. She only ever let me see it."

"I saw," he said.

She amiled, and then she twirled around in the moonlight, her hair streaming out behind her. He reached out towards her, imagined touching that hair, feeling the silky smoothness slipping between his fingers. He let his hand drop.

"Lilly, we're trying to figure out who really killed you."

At his words, she stopped twirling, and looked at him. Her face got serious. "I know." She cocked her head to one side, as if she was listening to someone. "And now I have to go."

"Come back again," he said. "I like seeing you. Even if it means I'm nuts."

She laughed as she backed away into the night. "You're nuts one way or the other, Logan Echolls. But don't worry, we like you that way." As she disappeared, he heard her say one last thing. "Be careful. He's awake."

It took a moment for the words to register, but once they did, Logan froze. So he hadn't managed to postpone anything, after all. Shoulders hunched, he moved to the front door and eased it open, then tiptoed through the front room towards the stairs.

Across the room, he heard a click, and then a single lamp turned on. Aaron sat in the chair beside the lamp, his face grim.

"Hey Dad," said Logan, trying to sound casual. "What are you doing up?"

Aaron shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. What with the phone ringing every five minutes," he said. He rose from his seat and walked slowly towards Logan. Logan started to back up, and then changed his mind and held his ground. His father hated weakness.

"Access Hollywood," said Aaron. "Entertainment Tonight. E. Any guesses what they wanted to talk about? My charity work? No. My latest Christmas movie? No."

Aaron reached Logan and clapped a hand on Logan's shoulder. He leaned close.

"They wanted to talk about my son's latest opus. Skid Row Boxing."

Logan took a shallow breath. "Look, Dad, I, uh…I didn't know what-"

Aaron moved his hand to the back of Logan's neck and squeezed. Logan winced at the grip.

"I have to say that your performance was really impressive," said Aaron, his voice low and menacing. "The way you play the ungrateful son determined to humiliate his father was utterly impressive."

Aaron flung Logan forward, where Logan fell across the sofa. He scrambled around to face his father. Never turn your back unless you mean it, he reminded himself. He wasn't ready to turn his back yet.

Aaron continued his rant, his voice getting progressively louder. "Do you have any idea what you just cost this family? Of course you don't. You never had to work for anything in your life. Now, tomorrow, after school, you're going to get your first lesson in public relations. Don't you ever embarrass me again."

Aaron walked away, leaving Logan staring after him, clenching his fists.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Veronica pulled up to the Echolls' gate and rang the bell. She identified herself and said that she had a school assignment with Logan, and the housekeeper buzzed her through. She went through the same exchange at the front door.

"Mr. Logan is up in his room," said the housekeeper who answered the door. Her eyes darted behind her and then back to Veronica. "Does he know you're coming? Maybe you should–"

"I know the way," Veronica said with a bright smile. "It's been a while, but I used to be here all the time."

She pushed past the housekeeper and started for the stairs.

The day before, after Van Clemmons had announced that Duncan had won the election, Veronica had lodged a formal request to inspect the ballots. The request didn't go over well with Mrs. Donaldson, the student council advisor, but she had had no choice but to let Veronica, Wallace, and Wanda do a recount. It hadn't helped...until Veronica had spotted an anomaly that led them to the truth: Madison Sinclair had rigged the election by giving different ballot instructions to different classrooms depending on whether they were likely to vote for Wanda or Duncan.

Veronica couldn't help but be just a little impressed. It was a well thought out plan. I little too well thought out for Madison. Before, she would have been sure Logan was behind it. Now, she couldn't bring herself to suspect him.

Still, he was the first person who came to mind when, that morning, she had arrived at school to find that Wanda's posters had been graffiti'd with the word "NARC" all over them. She had made a comment to him about it, and he had snapped at her about not having time to be responsible for every little thing that went wrong and stomped off. She had watched him go, confused. She had been teasing. Mostly.

As it turned out, Wanda _was_ a narc. She had gotten picked up for possession and made a deal with the Sheriff's Department to rat out her fellow students in order to keep the charge off of her record.

_I just don't learn, do I? I find someone admirable, they turn out to have a se__edy underbelly. And then there're the ones who are seedy on the outside who turn out to be not all that bad, like Logan._

Veronica had looked for Logan after Duncan had won the run-off, but he wasn't around. He was a no-show for Duncan's speech, too. When Duncan pronounced the expansion of the Pirate Points program to include activities like band and yearbook, Veronica's mouth dropped open. Had he talked to Logan, or had he come up with that on his own?

After school, Veronica had gone home to find the tape from Action News waiting for her. She hesitated only a second before getting back in her car and heading over to Logan's house. She had tried to call, but he wasn't picking up his phone, and she couldn't wait. They were going to watch this together, and confirm that something was rotten with Abel Koontz's arrest.

Now, she climbed the stairs quickly. She'd probably find him playing a video game, she thought. Or watching porn.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan groaned as he shifted on the mattress. He probably shouldn't have done what he did. The amateur fighting match, for sure, but also what he had pulled at the soup kitchen that afternoon. Aaron had dragged him to this soup kitchen to volunteer in front of the cameras, so that he could make a little speech about how sorry his son was and how he was learning. Logan had played the dutiful son for a while, but watching his father gladhand the homeless, and knowing Aaron would be washing his hands in disinfectant and complaining about it later made Logan sick.

So he had made an announcement, in front of the cameras, that Aaron was donating a half million dollars to the food bank. His dad would barely notice a half million, but that wasn't the point. He had backed his father into a corner, and Aaron couldn't let that stand.

When they got home, Logan hadn't even waited for the order. He had gone directly to his father's belt wardrobe and selected one, bringing it to Aaron in his study. Aaron had let him have it. He hadn't held back at all, and Logan hadn't felt a beating this much in months. All he could do now was lie here and wish for the burning to stop.

"Hey, baby."

Logan raised his head from the pillow and looked around in confusion. Then he smiled.

"Lilly. You came back," he said.

"I always do," she replied sadly. "I wish I could do something for you. Remember how I used to? If I could, I would clean you up and then make you forget all about the pain."

"Just you being here is nice," he said. "Don't go."

She shook her head. "I have to," she said. "But don't worry. She'll be here soon. Don't push her away, Logan. Let her help."

"Hmm?" Logan closed his eyes. She wasn't making any sense. Then again, he guessed he was probably delirious.

"Go to sleep," she whispered in his ear.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

When Veronica reached Logan's bedroom door, it was closed. She knocked. After a moment, she knocked again.

"Logan?" she called. There was no answer. She hesitated, and then twisted the knob.

The door opened easily, and she stepped inside. It had been so long since she had been in his room. Even when the four of them hung out together, they had mostly populated the pool and the poolhouse, when they were at the Echolls' house at all. Logan seemed to prefer the Kanes'.

It looked the same. At first glance, she thought it was empty, and then she spotted him. He was lying face down on his bed on top of a pile of bedding, which was pillowed up and around him, nearly hiding his body.

"Logan?" she called. He didn't answer, and so she stepped forward. "Are you asleep?"

When she got close enough to really see him, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. His head was turned away from her. His shirt was off, and criss-crossing his back were a series of thin, bright red welts. Some of them were bleeding, but most of them were just an angry red.

"What happened to you?" she whispered. She stood frozen to the spot for several minutes, not sure what to do. Should she go, or should she stay? His back rose and fell as he breathed. Finally, she slipped her bag off of her shoulder and crept around to the other side of the king-sized bed, where she could see his face.

His eyes were closed, but his mouth was in a deep frown, and his forehead creased. She was pretty sure he was asleep, but he must have been in pain.

She knew in an instant who was responsible. Logan had never said anything to her, but she had always suspected that his relationship with his father wasn't a very good one. It was clear to her that he was often uneasy around Aaron.

She had never really liked Aaron Echolls. She knew she was supposed to be in awe of him, since he was this big action hero, but he made her slightly uncomfortable. Whatever she suspected, she never guessed that it was this bad. Maybe it hadn't always been. Did Lilly know? She must have.

After letting her brain run in circles for a few minutes, Veronica made up her mind. She left the bedside and went into the connected bathroom, where she found a washcloth and wet it thoroughly with cold water. Ice would be better, but she didn't want to go down to the kitchen and raise any questions. She returned to the bed, and sat on the edge, where she proceeded to gently wipe away the blood from the worst of the welts and soothe the rest of them with the cold cloth.

Logan made a noise, and she paused, but then continued.

"Thanks, baby," he said. "What would I do without you?"

Her hand stilled, and her eyes darted to his face. His eyes were still closed.

"Logan?" she said.

He opened one eye, and then smiled. "Oh, it's you." He closed his eyes again.

After a second, they flew open, and he tried to roll away, immediately gasping as his back hit the bedding.

"Logan, don't. Stay still." Veronica reached for his shoulder and gently pulled him back so that he was lying face down again. "Don't move." She put the cloth on his back again. "Is this helping, or hurting?" she asked. "I don't want to make it worse."

He swallowed, his gaze on her face. "Helping," he said.

"Okay. Then just relax." She continued to soothe the welts, blinking back tears. The pain she saw in his eyes hit her low in her stomach. She wanted to magically heal him, and then go taser Aaron Echolls' ass, not necessarily in that order.

After a while, she stood up. "The cloth is warm," she said. "Do you…do you want me to wet it again?"

"No." He had watched her the entire time, cautiously.

"Well. I came over to...it doesn't matter, it can wait. I'll just..."

She crossed the room again, deposited the washcloth in the hamper, and then turned back to the bed. She twisted her hands together, unsure of what to do next. Finally, she sighed.

"Is there anything else I can do? Get you...an ibuprofen or something?"

He carefully rolled onto his side, propped his head on his hand. He was watching her curiously, as if trying to make sense of her standing there. "I already took some."

"Okay, then...I guess I'll just go." She turned to where she had dropped her bag and bent to pick it up.

"Veronica," he said. She stopped, looked at him questioningly. "Can you just...stay?"

She paused, the strap of her messenger bag in her hand. She glanced at the door, and then back at him. Then she nodded.

"Yeah," she said, dropping the bag again and crossing to the bed. "I can."

He relaxed, shifted so that he was lying on his stomach with his head facing the foot of the bed, and scooted over, making room for her.

"The remote's over there." He pointed at the television console and gave her a half smile. "You up for some _Big Lebowski_ action? I bet I can recite more of the movie than you can."

She smiled back. "You're on. That's a great plan, Walter. That's fuckin' ingenious, if I understand it correctly. It's a Swiss fuckin' watch."

He laughed. She grabbed the remote and then, after a brief hesitation, climbed onto the bed and settled in on her stomach beside him.

He took the remote from her and queued up the movie. As the studio credits began, he turned to her. "Thanks," he said. "For staying."


	7. Chapter 7: When You Open the Door

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: So this was a quick update. I got a little carried away here. I know basically where the next chapter is going, too, but now I really really need to focus on other things. Enjoy, let this tide you over for the next couple of weeks, and have a great weekend!

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Logan learns that Lianne was having an affair with a married man whose wife threatened Lianne and ran her out of Neptune. Logan has Keith investigate Troy's background, but doesn't tell Veronica. Veronica does a background check on Logan and finds out Aaron isn't his real father, but doesn't tell him. Logan finds out how tough Veronica's life has been for the past year and gets shit-faced to drown out the guilt. A very drunk Logan spills his guts about why he was mad at Veronica, and they work together to get their hands on Lilly's unpaid ticket, revealing the time-of-death discrepancy. An enraged Troy attacks Veronica, and Logan arrives in time to do what he had wanted to do since he met the guy: beat the crap out of him. Logan and Veronica promise to be honest with each other. While Veronica recovers, Logan accidentally intercepts a call to Veronica from Lianne, but then deletes the evidence of the call from Veronica's cell phone and keeps it to himself. Logan starts having lunch with Veronica and Wallace, and Dick and Beaver join them. Veronica asks Logan to help with the murder investigation, and he agrees. Logan tells Veronica about Duncan's memory loss. Veronica finds out that Aaron beats Logan.

Chapter Seven: When You Open the Door

_So, Veronica, how does it feel to know Logan's darkest secrets? Were you better off not knowing? Was finding out inevitable? Then there's the biggest question: where do we go from here?_

Veronica hurried through the hallway, glancing at the clock on the wall and knowing the bell was about to ring. She rounded the corner towards the journalism classroom and spotted Logan, standing by his locker and talking to Vice Principal Clemmons. She bit her lip, hoping Logan wasn't getting into trouble, the kind of trouble that the school would call his father about. As she got closer, however, it sounded like Clemmons was asking Logan for a favor.

"They're a big ticket item," Clemmons was saying. "We're hoping we'll be able to pay for our new scoreboard with what we'll make off of them."

"Hope so," said Logan, crossing his fingers. He stepped away from the locker and started to walk down the hall. Clemmons continued to talk.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach your father. I was hoping you could talk to him."

"Tell you what," Logan said with false enthusiasm, turning back to Clemmons. "I'll have my assistant call his assistant."

He spotted Veronica then, gave her a little wave, and waited for her to catch up with him. They continued down the hall together towards class.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Just some bullshit. Clemmons wants me to talk to my dad about donating something to the charity auction. Because this school just can't function without a new scoreboard, apparently."

"Are you going to talk to your dad about it?" asked Veronica.

"Probably. He's out of town until Wednesday, we'll see what his mood is like when he gets back." Logan shot her a look, knowing exactly what she was avoiding asking.

Since the previous Friday night, they hadn't talked about what happened. Logan had made it clear that he didn't want to talk about it, and Veronica was trying to honor that request. It wasn't easy.

_When the _Big Lebowski_ finished, Veronica cast a sideways glance at Logan. He rolled onto his side and propped his head on his hand, grinning at her. She mirrored his position._

_"So I think we can effectively call that a draw," he said. "You might have messed up a few more lines than I did, but it's safe to say that we both know that movie by heart."_

_"Like hell I messed up more than you did. A draw it is." She smiled. "God, we haven't done that in..." She trailed off, looking away, suddenly feeling awkward._

_"In over a year," he said. She wondered if he was remembering their regular movie nights like she was. Duncan and Lilly just didn't get the _Big Lebowski_, so she and Logan had developed a bit of a tradition of their own for when the Kanes were out of town. Watching the movie with him again just now had felt familiar and comforting to her. She just didn't know what that meant, in the long run._

_She studied the comforter, tracing her finger over its seams. She could feel Logan looking at her, and she didn't know what to say. She thought she should probably leave, but she needed to ask him about what she had just learned. Finally, she looked up._

_His face was serious, and when he saw the look on hers, he sighed. He pushed himself up and shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing her. Once again, she followed suit._

_"Here's the deal," he said. "I don't want to talk about this. At all. Not now, not later, not tomorrow, not next week. But I can see that you're going to implode from all your wondering, so you can ask me three questions."_

_She blinked at him in surprise. "Three?" she repeated._

_"Three." His voice was firm. "Choose carefully."_

_She chewed on her lip, thinking. What did she most want to know? She took a deep breath._

_"How...how long has this been going on?"_

_"Since I was seven. Next question?"_

_"Since you were seven! Logan, what –"_

_"Careful, Veronica," he said, shaking his finger back and forth and smiling wryly. "You don't want to use up one of your questions by accident."_

_She closed her mouth and considered, before asking, "Who knows about this?"_

_He shrugged and looked down. Now he was tracing the seams on the comforter the way she had been doing a minute ago. She watched him, wondering how she could have been with him so much for years – at the beach, at the pool, places where he would have his shirt off – and had no idea his father was whipping him. Maybe it wasn't always whipping, she didn't know and she wasn't going to use one of her questions asking._

_After a minute, he spoke. "Trina knows but pretends she doesn't. Duncan knows. Lilly knew. I think Dick does. He's never said anything, but I'm pretty sure he's figured it out."_

_"Dick doesn't strike me as the kind of person to figure things out," Veronica muttered._

_This prompted a small smile from Logan. "Don't underestimate Dick," he said. "What you see is not always what you get with him." The smile disappeared. "And my mom. Knows, I mean."_

_Veronica bit her lip to keep from asking the follow-up questions. How was it possible that Lynn Echolls, who had always been so sweet and kind with them and seemed to adore Logan, could let this happen? Logan seemed to sense that it was difficult for her to hold back, because he spoke again._

_"Don't be too hard on her," he said. "She's not...she's not strong enough to stand up to him."_

_"She should be," said Veronica. Even she was surprised by the anger in her tone. "Sorry," she apologized, "I know she's your mom. I just..."_

_"Yeah. You have one more question."_

_Veronica already knew what her final question was. She just wasn't sure how to ask it. She studied him. He was looking down again, not meeting her eyes. His shirt was still off, and she found herself gazing at the muscles in his stomach, his arms. _He_ was strong. Why didn't _he_ stand up to Aaron? But that wasn't the question she most wanted to ask._

_"How come you've never told anyone, done anything about it?" she asked, finally._

_His gaze snapped to hers, surprise in his eyes, then defeat. "What would I have done?" he asked in answer to her question._

_"Told someone. Told my dad. He could have –"_

_"He could have what? Investigated child abuse? Even if he believed me, or I was able to show him...this," he said, indicating his back, "do you think it would have made an ounce of a difference? My dad's lawyers would have been all over it so fast, it would get shut down, people would be paid off, and then I'd get it twice as bad. Even if it didn't get shut down, where was I going to go? You think they'd let me stay with my mom after finding out she didn't do anything to stop him?"_

_"Logan, you could have gone to the Kanes. I know they would have taken you in. Your mom too, if she wanted. You could do it now. My dad would help. He –"_

_"No. No, Veronica," he said sternly. "Promise me, right now, this second. You will not tell your dad about this. You will not tell anyone."_

_She swallowed, and tried to look away, but he reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to hold his gaze. Feeling like she was sinking, she closed her eyes and shuddered. "I promise," she whispered._

_"Hey. Hey," he said softly, and she felt his thumbs brushing away tears that had started to leak from beneath her closed lids. "Look, it's really not that bad, not anymore. And it's not all the time. He's not around all that much. Once every few months, that's it. It's not like when I was little. Now, it's more...controlled."_

_That didn't make her feel any better, but she knew his mind was made up. The question was, could she do what he was asking? Keep his secret, and never talk about it again? She wasn't sure._

_She scrambled backward and stood up. She wiped at her eyes. "Logan, if you change your mind, just...tell me."_

_He nodded. "Are you going? I mean, you can if you want to. You probably have plans."_

_She thought she heard something in his voice then, like he was holding back asking her, for a second time, to stay. Did she want to stay? If she left now, would he think it was because she couldn't handle what she knew?_

_"I don't have plans," she said. "You have Mario Kart." She pointed to the game on the shelf._

_He broke into a grin. "I do," he said, "and I'll kick your ass six ways from Tuesday."_

_"Not in this lifetime," she said. "I'm kind of hungry. Let's order pizza. And chicken wings. And mozzarella sticks. Oh, and can we get some of those –"_

_She stopped when she realized he was doubled over laughing._

After Mario Kart, and a feast of gargantuan proportions, they had watched two more movies. In the dark, she had suddenly been very aware that she was lying on Logan's bed next to Logan. He didn't touch her, but she could feel him there as sure as if he had pressed his side up against hers. When she finally left around midnight, he had walked her to the door. He didn't say it, but she could tell by the way he was glancing around the darkened house that he was watching for his father.

During the drive home, she thought about Logan's other secret, the one even he didn't know. Aaron wasn't his real father. Knowing what she did now, it seemed like telling him might not be a bad idea. But she wanted to look into it a little first, make sure of her suspicions before she dropped that kind of a bomb.

Now, as they walked down the hall, Logan seemed satisfied she wasn't going to bring up the forbidden subject, and visibly relaxed.

"So you up for some more work on the case?" he asked.

"Sure. My dad's at the office today, though. Want to meet at my place?"

"I'll follow you there after school."

They entered the journalism classroom, and he gave her once last wave and sauntered over to talk to Duncan.

_Interesting. Are we friends now? Because that's what it feels like. I wonder how long it will last this time?_

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan flipped the cards over on the desk, moved some around, and flipped three more off the pile in his hands. He hadn't really envisioned whiling away the time this afternoon in detention playing solitaire, but he was philosophical about it. It had been satisfying to mock Mr. Daniels, particularly after the teacher had taken away his test and given him a zero. All because his favorite PCHer was giving him shit.

That PCHer was now sitting in the desk next to him, blabbering on about double standards or something. Logan was fairly sure Weevil was just trying to get a rise out of him.

"Is this detention, or hell?" asked Logan, raising his eyes to the sky.

Weevil grunted. "How do you people not make yourselves sick?" he asked. "I mean, it's like you walk on water in this school. For what? It's nothing that you do. I mean, all that matters is who your parents are and the zip code your mom shot you out in."

"And if I donate to the United Latino Pain-in-the-Ass fund, will you shut the hell up?" asked Logan.

Weevil narrowed his eyes. "You like playing with yourself? Or you wanna make things interesting?"

Logan looked up from the cards. Now this was more like it. "What did you have in mind?" he asked.

Twenty minutes later, the boys had pushed their desks to face each other and were deep into a hand of five card draw. They continued to taunt each other, but there was no animosity. Logan considered what Weevil had just told him, that he bothered coming to school because he had promised his grandmother he'd graduate. That was interesting, and a side of Weevil Logan hadn't seen before. He wondered if Veronica saw this side, and if this was why she was friends with the biker.

The door to the classroom opened, and they both looked up. Logan smiled.

"Sugarpuss!" he said, blanketing his tone with sarcastic enthusiasm. "You got my text? Come to see your men in the clink?"

Veronica closed the door behind her and stomped over. The look on her face said she was going to kill somebody, and he was hoping it wasn't him. Weren't they past this? Especially after last Friday, she had seemed to let down her guard with him.

"I did get your text. What the heck did you do to put you both in detention?"

"What, it has to be my fault?" Logan placed his hand to his chest in mock dismay. "What about junior criminal here, doesn't he get any of the credit?"

"It was his fault, V," said Weevil.

"You know what? I don't really care. I got your message canceling this afternoon, I was heading home, and guess what I found when I got out to the parking lot?"

"A parade?" Logan was at a loss. What was she talking about?

"No, guess again. Actually, I'll just save us both some time and tell you. All four of my tires were slashed. I thought we were done with that, Logan. Care to explain?"

"Hey!" He put his hands up in the air, palms out. "I don't know anything about that."

"Maybe you didn't do it personally, but I thought you called off your dogs. Didn't you?"

"Yeah," said Logan. "I did." He frowned. "Some of them might not have listened. I'll look into it."

"You might want to start with the president of your fan club," she said.

"Huh?"

"Madison Sinclair." She pulled something out of her pocket and slammed it onto the desk, making the cards jump. It was a tube of lipstick. "I found that behind the front left tire. Passion's Promise. She was wearing it today, and must have dropped it."

"Okay," he said. "I'll talk to her."

"You might want to get to that before I do, because the kind of talking I envision involves 1200 volts of electricity."

He couldn't help it. He smiled. "Might want to see that," he said.

"Me too," said Weevil. "You should sell tickets. V, I'll call my uncle, have him deal with the tires. It might take overnight, though."

She sighed. "And now you're stuck in here for how long? I need a ride. And you're both my most likely...and only...candidates."

"Another two hours," said Logan.

The door opened as Veronica threw up her hands in frustration. "The bus left already. I guess I could call a cab..."

"Hey, Logan, there you are. I wanted...oh. Hi, Veronica." Duncan strode into the room and stopped. He smiled tentatively at Veronica. She nodded.

"Hey there, Duncan old buddy. How's it hangin'?" Weevil gave an exaggerated wave.

Duncan shot him a confused look. "Yeah, hi. Um...calling a cab?" he asked, looking from Veronica to Logan.

"Someone slashed my tires again, and these two are stuck here for another two hours. I'm trying to find a way home," she explained.

"I could drive you," said Duncan.

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure." He smiled at her again, and this time she smiled back.

"That would be great. Thanks."

Logan frowned. This was a good thing, Duncan thawing towards Veronica. Wasn't it? And it was good she didn't have to wait around for him to finish his sentence. For some reason, however, seeing Duncan and Veronica smile at each other gave him a hollow feeling in his stomach.

The door opened again, and Mr. Daniels strode in. He looked around in surprise.

"Are we having a party? Mr. Kane, Ms. Mars, unless you'd like to join your friends in detention, I'd walk out the door as quickly as your legs will allow."

"Sorry," said Veronica, backing towards the door.

"Yeah. Later, Logan," said Duncan, following Veronica out of the room.

Mr. Daniels took in the cards and the pile of money and glowered. Logan didn't like the look on his face.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The inside of Duncan's car was silent. Veronica stared out the window, wondering if she'd ever feel less awkward around Duncan.

_Yeah, right. Maybe if he had told me why he broke up with me I could have had...closure, or something. Then, maybe I wouldn't feel like such an idiot around him all the time._

She straightened up in her seat when he took a left onto Sunset.

"You're going the wrong way," she said, glancing at him.

"What?"

"I don't...you're going the wrong way. We moved." She realized that Duncan was driving her to their old house, the one she had been living in when her dad was Sheriff, while she and Duncan were dating, before Lilly...

"Oh." His eyebrows drew together. "I'm sorry, I didn't...I didn't realize."

"That's okay. Take a left up here. Head towards Dog Beach." She folded her arms across her chest. Of course he didn't know she had moved. He hadn't talked to her barely at all in the past year and a half. And Logan apparently hadn't filled him in. Great. Now she needed to feel awkward about that, too.

Duncan followed her directions. When they were still a few miles away from the apartment, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out, checked the screen, and saw a text from Logan.

_From: Logan_

_Daniels is an ass._

She shook her head, but smiled and typed her own message.

_To: Logan_

_What did you do this time?_

Her phone buzzed again. She noticed Duncan was looking over at her with interest.

_From: Logan_

_Nothing. I swear. Well, maybe I opened my mouth a little more than I should have. Weevs and I got detention for the rest of the week now._

"Idiot," she muttered, still smiling.

"What's going on?" asked Duncan.

"Logan is an idiot," she explained, then typed again.

_To: Logan_

_I guess our work will have to wait. Can you try to stay out of trouble next week?_

"What did Logan do?" asked Duncan.

"No doubt he acted just like Logan," she said. The phone buzzed again.

_From: Logan_

_No promises. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning._

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Duncan.

"Hang on," said Veronica, waving one hand to shush him while she typed with the other.

_To: Logan_

_I told my neighbor I'd take her to the doctor before school._

She tilted her head to the side at his last message.

_From: Logan_

_No problem. What time do you need me?_

She sent off one last text, telling him when to arrive, and put the phone away. What time did she need him? That was such an odd way to put it. She bit her lip, wondering why it made her feel a little funny on the inside.

"Sorry," she said to Duncan. "He feels guilty about the tires, so he offered to pick me up tomorrow."

"Oh." Duncan's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Turn here," she said. "It's that complex just down the street."

He pulled into the parking lot, and up to the walk leading into the complex. "So...you and Logan seem to be getting along," he said.

She glanced at him. "I guess," she replied. "He's...behaving."

"I'm glad he's treating you better, Veronica. That they all are. Most of them," he amended, and she was sure he was thinking of her tires. "I didn't tell them to do that, you know."

She narrowed her eyes. He may not have issued the orders, but he probably could have put a stop to it a long time ago, if he had cared enough to speak up. She sighed. It just wasn't worth getting into.

"It's okay, Duncan," she said. "I know it wasn't your fault."

"Thanks," he said. "I'm sorry anyway." He smiled. "If you and Logan can be friends again, maybe...maybe we can be friends again, too."

She stared at him. "I'd like that," she said finally, a smile creeping onto her face. It fell again immediately. "Listen, I'm sorry too. For...whatever I did, or whatever you thought I did, that made you dump me."

He paled. "You didn't do anything. I swear, Veronica. Just...it was better that we weren't together. I should have just told you."

"Yeah," she said. "You should have."

She looked away, in time to see André storm down the walk and across the parking lot. André lived upstairs with her neighbor Sarah, the one she was taking to the doctor in the morning. Why André couldn't do it, she didn't know. He stomped over to his car, wrenched open the door, got inside and slammed it behind him. He peeled out of the lot.

"Who was that?" asked Duncan. "Does he live here?"

"Yeah," said Veronica. "He lives upstairs from me, with his girlfriend. I think he's kind of creepy, and they fight. Like, all the time. I can hear them screaming through the ceiling."

She opened the door and slid out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride," she said.

"Anytime," said Duncan. "I mean that, Veronica."

She answered his smile with one of her own, closed the door, and walked away.

Duncan had certainly been making an effort, she would give him that. Could they be friends again? She wasn't sure. She was still going to feel awkward around him. She supposed since he was best friends with Logan, and she and Logan were...something...it would be good if she could hang out with Duncan too. It was something to think about.

The next morning, Veronica stood outside Sarah's door and knocked a second time. There was no answer, but she could hear Killer, Sarah's chihuahua, barking. She peered through the window and saw the dog sitting on the table, yapping away. The place was a mess. It looked like it had been ransacked.

The night before, she had been woken up by someone screaming, and then she had heard a thud. It worried her, but when she mentioned it to her dad that morning, he had laughed at her and brushed it off. Now, with Sarah not answering the door or ready for her doctor's appointment, Veronica's worry increased. The girl was very pregnant. What was going on?

She pulled out her phone and dialed Sarah's number, leaving a message when she got voicemail. She was finishing up when she opened the passenger door to the XTerra and slid inside. Logan raised his eyebrows at her.

"She's not answering the door or her phone," Veronica explained.

"Maybe she forgot?" suggested Logan.

"I don't know. Maybe." She explained about the thud and the scream, and Killer home alone in the mess.

"If I know you, and I think I do, you're trying to figure out a way to solve this little mystery," he said. "Can you promise me you won't do anything dangerous?"

"No," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Can you promise to take me along if you do?"

"I don't know, Logan. You're _in detention_ all the time." She shook her head. "Maybe nothing is wrong. I'll go to her job after school, see if she went to work today. A nice, well-lit, posh clothing store in the fancy part of Neptune," she said sweetly. "Does that meet with your approval?"

He thought about it, then nodded. "It does. If you call when you're done."

"Since when did you become my keeper?" muttered Veronica. "I already have one overprotective father, I don't need two."

"Who's your Daddy?" quipped Logan.

Veronica glared at him.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan followed on Veronica's heels as she plowed through the hallways towards the journalism classroom. They had continued to argue about Veronica doing dangerous things at the diner where Logan had insisted they stop – since they had a bunch of time to kill anyway and he swore over and over her stomach was growling – on the rest of the drive to school, and as she stopped at her locker and he forced her to stop with him at his.

He was getting a sense of...not déjà vu, exactly, but something else. This argument was one they had had before and he had the strongest feeling that they were going to have it again. And again. Practice makes perfect, he figured.

"Look, I know you can take care of yourself. But you don't have to all the time." He tried to reason with her, and then use humor. "Think of my feelings. And how lost I'd be if I didn't have you around to argue with all the time."

She didn't see the funny. "I don't take unnecessary risks," she said. She glared at him when he snorted.

"Did I or did I not pull an enraged ex-boyfriend off of you barely two weeks ago?" he pointed out.

"You did, and if you recall, I was in my own house, baking a cake, when that happened. How was I taking an unnecessary risk?"

"Well, with your cooking skills, any time you get near an oven is an unnecessary –"

She punched him in the arm, but she was smiling. "Jackass."

"In the flesh," he said. They entered the classroom. "I'm going to call you all afternoon," he warned.

She rolled her eyes and moved to her station. He followed her, watching as she pulled out an old yearbook with lots of little flags on the pages and opened it up.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Class of 1979 is having their reunion," she explained. "I somehow got roped into helping the reunion coordinator create a photo display. I'm supposed to..."

She trailed off. She had been flipping pages, and come to a spread about the king and queen of the prom. There was a big illustrated heart, and in the center was a photo of Lianne Mars, locking lips with Jake Kane.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

Ms. Dent walked in then and called the class to order, and Veronica slammed the yearbook closed. Logan left Veronica and went to his own station. So Lianne Mars and Jake Kane were prom king and queen. And dating, by the way that photo looked. He wondered why it hadn't worked out between them. He wondered why Lianne had managed to fall for and marry Keith Mars over Neptune's favorite son. He wondered when Jake had decided ice queen Celeste Kane was more his style than the softer, gentler Lianne. He wondered...

Suddenly, he sat up straight. It wasn't possible, was it? Could the married man Lianne was having an affair with, the one whose wife had run Lianne out of town with threats, be Jake Kane?

He had to tell Veronica what he knew. Especially if the Kanes were involved, it could be connected to Lilly's murder. How had he missed that before?

After class, he watched as Veronica chased Duncan down the hallway. He hung back, but let himself get close enough to hear Veronica ask Duncan if he knew their parents had dated once. Duncan said he didn't and shrugged it off. He walked away, leaving Veronica looking crestfallen.

Logan gritted his teeth. What had happened during their ride yesterday?

After school, Logan followed Mr. Daniels and Weevil out into the school parking lot, where they approached an extraordinarily dirty little car. He clenched his fists at the idea of washing this sad little man's car for him as a detention task. The whole thing got to him, and he couldn't resist getting in a few digs about the car before Daniels stomped away.

As he drew the soapy sponge across the hood, he saw Veronica crossing the lot. He called out to her, and, seeing him, she changed her course.

"Hey," Weevil said. "Your car is all set. Over there. Four brand new tires, and man are they nice."

"Nice? New?" she frowned. "Weevil, I told your uncle, same deal as always. I can only afford the used ones."

"Moneybags here took care of it," Weevil said, shooting a grin at Logan. "Yell at him if you need to yell at someone."

Veronica turned to Logan, a look of confusion in her eyes. "What is he talking about?"

"It's my fault they got slashed, so I took care of it. And Madison has been spoken to," he added.

The day before, after Veronica left, he had found out from Weevil that Veronica usually had Weevil's uncle give her used tires cheap to replace all the ones that got slashed. He didn't like the idea of her driving around on used tires. And he was being honest when he said it was his fault.

"Oh. Well...thank you," said Veronica. "I gotta run. See you later."

She ran off towards her car. Logan watched her go. He hoped she really was just going to the clothing store this afternoon. Something sounded fishy about the whole neighbor situation. He'd check on her in a little while, he decided.

"Hey, man." Duncan strode up. "This is what Daniels has you guys doing? Since when is detention doing chores for teachers?"

"Your boy here made that very same point," said Weevil with a grin.

"Was that Veronica?" asked Duncan. "Does she need a ride again?"

"No," said Logan. Thank god. He didn't want Duncan to get into the habit of doing favors for Veronica, although he wasn't sure why.

"Okay," said Duncan with a shrug. "She took off in a hurry."

"She's working on a case. Her neighbor might have disappeared." Logan poured some more water on the hood of the car and went back to scrubbing. There was a lot of dirt.

"The one with the creepy boyfriend?"

Logan stopped and looked up. "What creepy boyfriend?"

"When I dropped her off yesterday there was this intense scary-looking dude stomping through the parking lot. Veronica mentioned he was her upstairs neighbor's boyfriend and they fought all the time."

"Damn it." Logan looked to where Veronica's car had been. It was gone. He looked back at Weevil.

"Go, dude," said Weevil. "I'll cover for you with Daniels."

"Thanks," said Logan. He tossed the sponge into the bucket and jogged off towards his SUV.

As he moved away, he heard Duncan ask Weevil, "Where's he going?"

Weevil responded, "To look out for our girl."

Logan smiled at that.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Shaken, Veronica exited André's studio. That hadn't gone well, and she was now sure something was going on with André. The guy just bothered her, and his cavalier attitude about the fact that his very pregnant girlfriend was missing raised a legion of red flags. She pulled out her phone and saw that there were fourteen missed calls. She must have forgotten to turn the ringer back on after school.

As she slid into her car, she scrolled through the list and saw that every single one of the calls was from Logan. Crap, crap, crap, she thought. With a sigh, she turned on the engine and drove towards home, listening to his messages. They got successively more agitated, until, in the last one, he was yelling that she was in serious trouble, and if she didn't call him immediately, he was going to her father.

She pulled into the parking lot of the complex and dialed Logan's number. He picked up right away.

"Where. The. Hell. Are. You." His voice came through the speaker in angry bursts. She cringed.

"Home," she said. "I had the phone on silent, I wasn't ignoring you."

"No," he said. "You are not home."

She strode up the walk and into the courtyard, where she looked up and saw Logan pacing in front of her door.

She sighed. "Look up," she said.

He did, and spotted her. He slammed his phone in his pocket and strode towards her. She could almost see steam coming out of his ears.

"Logan –" she began, but he cut her off.

"You went to see the creepy boyfriend, didn't you?"

"How did you know about him?"

"Duncan."

She rolled her eyes. Oh good, she thought, now I have an army of idiots keeping tabs on me.

"Did you go to see him, or not?" asked Logan.

"Yes," she said. He pressed his lips together. "It's fine."

"It's not fine. I specifically asked you not to do something dangerous without calling me."

"It's not a big deal," she said. "It wasn't...dangerous."

He noticed her hesitation, and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," she said. "It was creepy. You're right." She shuddered a little, thinking of being in that dark studio with André being menacing.

His expression changed from anger to worry in a flash. He grabbed her shoulders.

"What did he do to you?" he asked.

"Nothing. Logan." She reached up and covered his hands with her own. "Relax. It was fine. But I should have called you. I said you were right. Bask in that for a moment, because it's unlikely to happen again. Ever."

He searched her face, and then pulled his hands from her shoulders, running them through his hair.

"You promised you would call me first," he said. "Remember? That was part of the deal we made."

"The deal was with respect to Lilly's case," she said. "I don't remember making a deal for my whole life."

"I'm changing the terms."

She snorted, and moved around him to unlock the door to the apartment. He followed her inside.

"Logan, you don't control me. You can't just put yourself into every case I have. You have your own crap to deal with." She went down the hallway into her bedroom and dropped her bag on her bed.

"Let me worry about my crap."

"I wish you would," she said, shooting him a look.

"Meaning?"

"You know what I mean. You just get into trouble, _joyfully_, with no regard for the fact that when your dad finds out, he –"

"Stop," he said. "You promised we wouldn't talk about it."

"Yeah, well, I apparently suck at keeping promises."

She went over to her desk and cleared some papers out of the way, revealing the photos of her in gunsights that she had found in Lianne's safety deposit box. She hurried to cover them again, but Logan grabbed her arm.

"What the hell is _that_?" he asked. She looked up and saw his gaze focused on the top photo, in which she was exiting a therapy office.

"Nothing."

He grabbed the photos and flipped through them. "This," he waved them at her, "isn't 'nothing.' Why do you have these? What are they?"

She grabbed them back and stuffed them under a pile of books.

"I found them in my mom's safety deposit box," she said. "Don't worry about it. We were discussing your penchant for getting into trouble."

"Now we're discussing this." He held her gaze. She didn't back down. After a minute, he threw his hands in the air and started pacing. "This is exactly what I mean. How can I protect you if I don't know what I'm protecting you against?"

"You don't have to protect me," she argued.

"Well, I'm going to do it anyway," he said. "And what happened to our deal of telling each other things? You want to be honest, remember? It's the only way we'll solve the case."

"This has nothing to do with Lilly's murder."

"How do you know that?" he said. "Your mom and Jake Kane were having an affair, and Celeste threatened your mom to leave town. This is probably how she did it. If the Kanes were involved, how do you know it doesn't have to do with the case?"

Veronica's stomach dropped. She was having trouble breathing. She just stared, openmouthed, at Logan, who was still pacing. Finally, she managed to speak.

"What did you just say?" she asked.

He froze. Then he turned slowly to face her, a look of panic on his features. "I...I said your mom was having an affair with Jake Kane," he said slowly.

"Where on _earth_ did you get that idea?"

"Okay. This is not how this was supposed to go."

"How what was supposed to go? Think before you speak, Logan, and if what comes out of your mouth isn't the whole truth, I swear to God I will go for the taser."

They stared at each other. After a moment, he closed his eyes. He seemed to deflate before her eyes.

"I've been keeping something from you," he said quietly. He opened his eyes, and now they were pleading with her to understand.

"So it appears," she said, her voice dangerously low. "Again."

"Yeah. I just didn't know how to tell you. And I didn't really know, not until this morning. I still don't know. It's just a guess."

"_What_ is just a guess?"

"About Jake. And Celeste. And you mom. I...heard...that your mother was having an affair, and I heard that the man's wife had threatened your mom to make her leave town."

"_Where_ did you hear this?"

He shook his head. "It's not important. But when I saw the photo of Jake and your mom in the yearbook, it sort of...clicked. I knew I had to tell you then, and I was trying to figure out how to do it. It's just a guess," he reminded her, reaching out.

"Get out," she said.

"What?"

"Get out. I don't know why I ever thought I could trust you."

He took a step towards her. "Veronica. Let me just explain –"

"No. You need to leave."

His shoulders slumped. "Is that it, then? You're done?"

She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry.

_Is that it? The progress we've made? The time we've spent rebuilding a friendship? The work we're putting into the case? Is that over? I don't want it to be._

She swallowed, and opened her eyes. "I don't know," she said honestly. "I just know you need to get out. Don't call me. I need to think."

His jaw set. "Fine," he said. "I'm leaving. But remember, I'm not the only one still keeping secrets." He glanced at the desk, where the pictures were now hidden again. "And this conversation isn't over. Think all you want, but don't take too long."

He turned and stomped out of the room. A few seconds later, she heard the front door slam.

She crossed to her bed and curled into a ball, letting the tears come.

In the morning, after spending the night tossing and turning, she hadn't come up with any answers. It seemed that no matter what they did, they continued to hide things from each other. She supposed it wasn't that strange...they were both used to keeping important secrets, and not used to trusting anyone. But was it really too much to expect that when he had a secret that affected her, he should tell her about it?

_And there's the rub. Because aren't I keeping a whopper of a secret that directly affects Logan?_

At school, she avoided Logan all morning. During journalism, she helped the reunion coordinator with the photo display, and gathered up the courage to ask the woman about Jake and her mother. The reunion coordinator gushed about how they were _the_ couple, joined at the mouth in the halls, how everyone thought they would get married one day.

That was exactly what Veronica didn't need to hear. She spent the rest of the day in a fog, wondering if everything she had assumed about her mother's leaving was false. What if Logan was right, and it was Celeste Kane who ran her out of town? How long had the affair been going on? Who else knew about it? And where had _Logan_ heard it from?

After school, lying on her bed, her head still spinning with unanswered questions, Veronica finally decided she needed to talk to Logan. She had to find out exactly what he knew, and how he found out, if she was going to get anywhere. This mess had been uncovered, and now she needed to figure out what was going on.

It was like Sarah's disappearance. The night before, she had snuck into Sarah's apartment and found her cell phone, including a message from her doctor. She had been caught by André and had narrowly lied her way out of a sticky situation, and she wasn't going to tell Logan about that, but that was beside the point. That morning, she had called the doctor, pretending to be Sarah, and found out that André wasn't the father of Sarah's baby. What if André had found out and gotten angry and...

She had to get to the bottom of that, too. At least she had managed to do one thing right. Sarah's mother and stepfather had shown up at the complex that afternoon, and she had caught up to them and given them her dad's card. She was pretty sure they'd call him, and she could get him involved with the case. He always knew what to do.

With a resigned sigh, she pulled out her phone and called Logan. After a few rings, he answered.

"Yeah?"

"Hi," she said. "It's me."

"I know it's you. What do you want?"

"I've thought. And I want to talk. Can you meet me?"

There was silence. Well, not silence, exactly. She heard scraping and clanging in the background, and something...a saw?...starting up. Finally, Logan spoke.

"Not tonight," he said. "I've got a thing I have to do."

In the background, she heard what she thought was Weevil's voice. "Logan. What the hell, man? Put down the phone. We need another set of hands here. Make up with your girlfriend later."

"Is that Weevil?" she asked. "Logan, what are you up to? And tell him I'm not your girlfriend."

"Veronica, I'm glad you want to talk. But I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

The line went dead. Veronica stared at the phone. Logan and Weevil together could really only mean...trouble.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Logan watched from his locker as Clemmons led Weevil through the hallway. Their prank against Mr. Daniels had gone off splendidly. When Daniels arrived at school that morning – having gotten a ride from another teacher, since his car had gone "missing" yesterday afternoon – he found said car impaled on the flagpole.

It had been a genius idea, and Logan had been more than happy to work with Weevil on getting it done. The kid wasn't all that bad, really. He was still a jerk, but he was all right. Logan had actually kind of had fun with him in detention this week. Except for the fact that Weevil kept digging at Logan that he was hot for Veronica, and slobbering after his best friend's ex. He had nearly punched Weevil at one point the night before when he wouldn't shut up about it. Except for that, Weevil was okay.

Now, Logan exchanged a quick look with Weevil. For some reason – probably because Weevil was a known criminal element at Neptune High – Clemmons had fixated on him as the culprit for the car-on-the-flagpole prank. He couldn't have any evidence. The real question now was whether Weevil would rat Logan out in order to save himself.

He didn't like to think what his father would say when he found out about that.

At lunch, Logan sat with Duncan and some of the guys. He had done that the day before, too, and had put up with some ribbing about having ditched them for Veronica's table the past week and a half. Whatever. Dick and Beaver had joined them sometimes, and even Enbom had come over to eat with them once...although that could have been because Logan had ordered sushi.

The guys were talking about the flagpole, and about Weevil. Logan listened intently. He hadn't yet been hauled in by Clemmons, and so he figured he was in the clear.

"I didn't even know they expelled people at our school," Duncan was saying as he pulled a piece of pizza out of the steaming box.

"Well, not our people," said Dick with a laugh.

Logan looked up. "They expelled him?"

"They had security escort him off the grounds. I was in the office getting my schedule changed and you could hear Daniels just blowing a fuse. 'Tell-us-who-helped-you. Tell-us-who-helped-you!'" He said, jabbing his finger in the air as he imitated their least favorite teacher.

Dick shook his head. "If he starts selling oranges in front of my house, I'm gonna be pissed," he said with a laugh.

Logan frowned.

When he went to his locker after lunch, Veronica was waiting for him. She had her hands on her hips, which was never a good sign. He sighed.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

"Yes, I know, you can't stay away, it's so good between us, yada yada yada," he said sarcastically.

"Logan –"

"Look, I told you I'm glad you want to talk. Okay? Just...do we have to do it this second?" He opened his locker and rummaged around, looking for nothing in particular.

"No, we can talk about that later. But right now, we have to talk about Weevil. I know you guys did the –" she looked around, lowered her voice. "– the prank together. I know you were with him last night. He got expelled, Logan. Are you just going to let that –"

"Jesus," he exploded. "I can't do anything right with you. I'm on it, okay? It's covered. Don't worry, you precious Eli will be back in school before you can say 'GED.'" He slammed the locker shut and turned to her. She looked like she had been slapped, but she recovered, and narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's just that I _told_ you. I told you not to get into trouble. And if they find out you're involved, your dad will –"

"Stop talking," Logan snapped. "And get off your moral high horse, will you? You 'told me so.' Seriously? I've been thinking, too, and while you have a right to be pissed at me about keeping things from you, _I_ have every right to be pissed at _you_ for the same thing. You do shitty things sometimes too, Veronica. I don't have a fucking monopoly on it."

He strode away, leaving her staring after him.

He felt a little bad about snapping at her, but she deserved it. Maybe she'd go easier on him if she realized he knew she was guilty too.

That night, he talked to his father about the stupid boots Clemmons was drooling over. Aaron, of course, was thrilled to make the public contribution, and thrilled that Logan wanted to be involved. He dug the boots out of storage.

The next day, all it took was to dangle the boots in front of Clemmons' nose for him to agree to give Logan and Weevil Saturday detention instead of expelling them both. Logan knew he wasn't in danger of being expelled anyway, the school was too afraid of the 09er parents, but the boots just sweetened the deal. Now, his father didn't have to hear about it, Weevil could come back to school, and Veronica could get off his back.

_Then_ maybe they could have it out about all the rest of their crap.

Logan pulled out his phone to call Weevil and give him the news.

"Moneybags," said Weevil, when he picked up the phone. "Did ya miss me?"

"Like I have never missed anything else," said Logan. "Listen, it's all taken care of. You and I have an appointment to paint over graffiti tomorrow morning, and then you can come back to class on Monday like this little expulsion thing never happened."

Weevil was silent a moment. "What the hell did you do? Buy Clemmons a pony?"

"Who's getting a pony?" said a voice in the background. Logan recognized it immediately.

"Are you with Veronica?" he asked.

"Oh, uh...yeah. She needed a favor." Weevil chuckled. "Man, you should have been here. This snooty-ass store manager was giving her a hard time, so she called in the big dogs. Me and my boys pulled up on our bikes and did a little shopping in his fruity shop. His eyes got so big, man –"

"She was back at the store? Investigating that case. Damn it," said Logan. "She's never going to stop, is she?"

"Running off on her own whenever she feels like it? No, dude. She's not. It's the way she's built. You're going to have to live with it."

Logan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Whatever. She's safe?"

"Yeah. She wasn't in any danger. This time."

"This time," agreed Logan. He hung up the phone, and sent a text.

_To: Veronica_

_Please please please do not do anything stupid. I have detention in the morning tomorrow, and then I'll take you wherever you want to go._

He waited, and after a minute, he got a response.

_From: Veronica_

_By the time you get out of detention, I think I'll have solved the case. But don't worry, I'm just going to paradise._

Logan stared at the message, baffled.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The following afternoon, as Veronica followed Sarah's car back towards Neptune – she wasn't taking any chances the girl was going to run off again – she dialed Logan's number. He picked up immediately.

"She calls," he said.

"She does," replied Veronica. "And she found what she was looking for."

"The world's biggest helping of lasagna? No, wait…a mountain of ice cream where it only rains chocolate sauce and maraschino cherries."

Veronica smiled. "Smartass. I found Sarah."

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Upset, scared a little, sad. But okay. She had just run off, like André said. We're headed back to town now. How is detention going?"

"It's…fine. I'm done here in an hour or so. Do you want me to come by?"

"How about tonight?" she suggested. "I want to make sure Sarah is okay and settled, and my dad's been watching me like a hawk. I think he was a little rattled by this case, hearing Sarah's mother talk about Sarah running off and everything."

"Tonight," he said. "I'll come by after dinner."

"Okay," said Veronica. There was something about his tone that bothered her. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

As she put her phone away, Veronica wondered at the fact that she no longer felt any anger towards Logan. Where had that gone? A couple of days ago, when he had blurted out the secret he had been keeping from her, she was furious. Even yesterday, when she found out about Weevil's expulsion, she was ready to wring Logan's neck…though that was more out of frustration and worry than anger.

She guessed it was because what he had said to her, both at her house and in the hall, rang true. She was just as guilty as he was about keeping secrets, important ones. She was the one who had made the honesty rule, and broke it over and over again. She couldn't really stay angry with him after realizing that.

Back in Neptune, Veronica saw Sarah safely home, where she ran into André's arms. He held her while she cried, told her he loved her, and mouthed a "thank you" to Veronica over Sarah's shoulder. Maybe he wasn't so creepy after all.

She spent the afternoon with her dad and Back-up at the beach, and then they ordered Chinese food. She patiently allowed her father to spin fantasies about her future as a boring executive in an office tower with no reason to investigate anyone ever again, but she knew differently.

After dinner, they talked a little more about Sarah.

"I guess André isn't so bad," said Veronica.

Keith settled into the sofa and nodded. "He knows about the DNA test, that the baby isn't his. He said it didn't matter."

Veronica frowned. "That's a little freakish, don't you think?"

"Or it's a testament to how much he loves her," Keith said. "A man's gotta be pretty committed to a woman if he'd agree to raise another man's child."

Veronica's thoughts immediately turned to Logan. What was the real story with his paternity? Why would Aaron not be listed as his biological father? She had been distracted, but she really had to get to the bottom of that.

"Do you know who the father is? Veronica? Earth to mars." Keith waved his hands around, and she focused on him again with a smile.

"Sorry," she said. "Spaced out a second there. What was that?"

"Who is the father?" Keith asked again.

She shrugged. "I don't know. My guess is the father is the guy who raped her."

Keith started. "She was raped? Why didn't you tell me she was raped?"

"I just found out—"

They both looked up as they heard people shouting upstairs. It was hard to hear exactly what was going on, but one thing came through loud and clear: _Your husband raped me!_

It was Sarah.

Keith looked at Veronica, his face grim. "You stay here," he commanded, and ran out the door.

Veronica stood in the living room, unsure what to do. Stay, or follow? Before she could decide, she heard a gunshot, and that made up her mind. She flew out the door, down the path, and up the stairs. She saw her father, standing just outside Sarah's apartment, lowering his gun. He glanced in her direction and frowned, then entered the apartment.

A short while later, the ambulance had arrived to take Sarah's stepfather to the hospital. Keith's shot had hit its mark and done exactly what it was intended to do: stop him from attacking Sarah, but not injure him too badly. Sarah was tucked in bed, with André and her mother by her side. Veronica stood with her father on the second floor balcony, watching the EMTs load the ambulance, red lights swirling in the night.

"So, I guess I'm grounded?" asked Veronica.

Keith sighed. "I think I'm going to let you slide on this one," he said, putting his arm around her and hugging her close.

She stared out into the night, and saw Logan running – no, sprinting – through the parking lot. He ran right underneath them and straight to her apartment door, where he banged on it furiously.

She crossed to the other side of the balcony. "Logan," she called out. He looked up, and the look of utter relief that crossed his face staggered her slightly. He jogged back to the stairs and took them two at a time, reaching her in moments.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, grabbing her arms. "You're all right?"

"She's fine, Logan," said Keith, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Logan glanced at him, then let go of Veronica and stepped back. "Hi, Sheriff," he said.

Keith rolled his eyes at the title. "Do you two have plans?" He peered at Veronica curiously.

"Yeah," she said. "But if you want—"

"No, that's good," said Keith. He glanced at Logan. "Get her out of here. Take her somewhere. Have her home by eleven."

"Midnight," said Veronica.

"Eleven-thirty, and keep your phone on," said Keith.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan took her hand and dragged her down the stairs. He didn't let go of his grip as they went back to her apartment to get her bag, as they left the courtyard, as he unlocked his car, as he helped her into the passenger seat. He finally released her to close the door and go around to his own side.

He didn't know what to do about her. If he left her alone for a second, she ended up around ambulances, and scary men, and a multitude of other things that could get her hurt, or killed. But when he tried to protect her, she got mad at him. She didn't seem mad at him now, but he figured if he waited a minute, that would change.

He drove towards the beach.

"Want to tell me what was happening back there?" he asked.

She sighed, and then explained. About Sarah's journal, and finding out Sarah had been raped, and that André wasn't the baby's father, locating Sarah, and finally what had happened that night.

"So you weren't actually there when this happened?" he asked, trying desperately to keep from clenching his teeth together.

"No," she shook her head. "I was in my apartment."

He relaxed slightly. They didn't talk further until they got to the beach. They descended the stairs down to the sand, and walked for a while in silence. They were the only ones there. After a while, he stopped, turned to face her, and sat in the sand cross-legged. He looked up at her expectantly.

She hesitated, and then sat facing him. He waited. He had a lot to say, but she was the one who had done the pushing this time, and he wanted her to make the first move.

She stared down at the few inches of sand between them for a while, and then finally looked up. He was glad the moon was nearly full – he liked being able to see her face. Now, it was completely serious.

"I have a proposal," she said. He waited. "Immunity."

"Immunity?"

"Immunity. For tonight. Right now, here, you tell me anything – _everything_ – you've been keeping from me, and I won't get angry with you."

"Really." He raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure he believed that was possible.

"Really," she said with a firm nod. "Well, it's hard to promise not to get angry. But I promise to let you explain, and listen, and if I'm still angry I promise to give you the chance to convince me not to be. But this is it, Logan. Everything."

"Okay," he said carefully. He was really going to test her tonight, if he was truly going to tell her everything. "I'll take that deal. But I want the same from you. You tell me everything you've been holding back, and I won't get mad either."

She nodded. "Who goes first?" she asked.

He thought for a second. If she went first, he'd get the information he needed, just in case she couldn't keep her promise and tried to storm off, or shut down, when she heard what he had to say. On the other hand, if he went first, she would see that he was willing to trust her and might offer more on her own. "I do," he said finally.

"Go ahead," she said. "Start with my mother."

So he explained. He explained that he had found out that Lianne was having an affair with a married man, and that the man's wife had threatened her into leaving Neptune. Then, when he had seen the photo of Jake and Lianne in high school, he had put two and two together.

"But I'm not sure about that," he said. "All I know is that there was an affair and the threatening thing."

"How?" asked Veronica. "_How_ do you know this?"

He buried his fingers in the sand between them.

"You're not going to like this," he said. "Any of it."

He glanced up at her, saw the panic in her eyes, and decided to talk fast, before her imagination made things even worse.

"Remember that day you drove to Arizona after school?"

She blinked at him in surprise. "How did you know about that?"

"Because I followed you."

Her mouth dropped open. "What—"

"I wanted to talk to you," he explained. "This was right after we started talking again, and…I wanted to talk to you. So I was waiting for you in the parking lot at school, and you came running like you were on fire, jumped in your car, and sped off. I followed, figuring I'd catch up with you at your house or the office or something, but you headed out of town."

"And you kept following me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, yeah. I don't know why. At first, I didn't know where you were going, and when I realized you were _really_ going somewhere, I had already been following you for a while, and I was curious. And a little worried."

The last comment seemed to surprise her, and then she gave him a strange smile. "You do that a lot," she said. "Why?"

He shrugged. "You have a knack for being around trouble," he said dryly.

After a moment, she nudged his hand. "Go on."

"So I followed you all the way to Arizona – good thing I had a full tank of gas, by the way – and watched you go talk to some woman. At that point, I was so curious and confused I couldn't just let it go—"

"Oh really?" she said.

"Hey, look in a mirror sometime. Anyway, you looked so upset about your conversation, I just…I don't know, I didn't really think about it. I just waited until you left and then talked to her myself. She let slip that Lianne had run out of town because of threats she was getting from some guy's wife."

Veronica was silent. She turned her head and stared out at the ocean. When she looked back at him, she shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if you don't have a natural talent at being an investigator too. I couldn't get anything out of her."

He ducked his head, surprised by the compliment.

"So…following me is creepy, and hiding this from me is unacceptable, but in the grand scheme of things, I guess that's not so bad," said Veronica, breaking the silence.

"The next part is," Logan said. "So brace yourself, and remember that I sometimes do things without thinking and then don't know how to fix them."

She nodded, looking anxious again.

"The day Troy attacked you," he said, once again tracing patterns in the sand, afraid to watch her face, "while you were resting, your phone rang. I picked it up by mistake. It was – it was your mother." Logan heard her gasp, and rushed on. "As soon as I realized what was going on, I told her to hang on, that I'd get you, but she said no. She said to tell you to stop looking for her, and that everything would make sense when the time was right. I insisted she tell you herself, but she was going to hang up. So I told her I knew about the affair, and her being threatened, and she told me to stay out of it."

The sand was soft and rough at the same time. He ground it together between his fingers, forcing the roughness to take over. He could hear Veronica breathing, but she wasn't saying anything. Eventually, he looked up. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, and she was frozen in place.

"Logan, I don't know how to – how could you?" she asked. "How could you not tell me about this? How am I supposed to—" Her voice was getting louder, and more hysterical, and he reached out and grabbed her hands.

"Immunity," he said.

She took a deep breath. "Why?" was all she said, but she didn't pull her hands away.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "That day, I just…I didn't want you to have to know that on top of what had happened with Troy, and then I couldn't figure out how to tell you."

"You had just promised me you would be honest. _Promised,_ Logan."

"Yeah, well, so had you," he pointed out.

She thought about that, and sighed. "We're really a pair, aren't we?" she said.

They sat there for a while.

"Well," she said. "I'm actually kind of relieved. And I'm not angry."

"Really?" he said suspiciously, watching her.

She smiled. "Really. It's bad, the information, but…I can sort of see how you would have had a hard time coming clean. And it's not _your_ fault my mother was sleeping with someone and let herself get run out of town because of it."

He swallowed. "There's more," he said softly.

"What kind of more?" she asked, pulling her hands away.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica watched Logan as he shifted uncomfortably. He once again buried his hands in the sand between them.

"More that has nothing to do with your mom. This is something else entirely."

She swallowed. Well, this is what she had wanted, wasn't it? Total honesty?

"Go ahead," she said. "Immunity, remember?"

"Yeah, well…this might be a little different. Will you promise to just _try_ to understand?"

He looked up at her then, and she saw real fear in his eyes. Whatever he was going to say was bad. She nodded. "I promise," she affirmed.

He let out a long breath. "It's about Lilly. The day she died."

Veronica's chest squeezed painfully. Oh no, she thought.

"I wasn't in Tijuana with Dick and Beaver."

She gasped. "What?"

"I _did_ go there," he said hurriedly. "But I drove back early Saturday morning. I was so…mad at her, Veronica. I was _so_ mad. I knew she was seeing somebody else. I was determined to find her, and make her listen to me, so we could fight it out and she could take me back. Or something. I wasn't completely sure."

"Oh, Logan," whispered Veronica.

"Just let me finish," he said, a bitter edge creeping into his voice, "and then you can be judge, jury and executioner. I drove back to Neptune, and went to the car wash."

"No you didn't," said Veronica. "I didn't see you there."

"I stayed in my car. I saw the two of you washing cars, looking adorable, whispering together, and…I don't know how to explain it, except that I just suddenly knew. I knew it was over between Lilly and me. So I wrote her this letter, and left it in her car, along with a shot glass I bought her in Mexico. And I went home and locked myself in my room."

She held her breath. When he didn't go on, she asked, "Did she call you? Did you see her?"

"No." He looked up then, straight into her eyes. "She didn't call. I didn't see her again that day. I _never_ saw her again." His hands began to clench and unclench in the sand. "I swear to you, Veronica, I lied about the alibi, had Dick and Beaver lie too, but I did _not_ …hurt her."

She tore her gaze away from his. Of course he hadn't hurt her. Even though he had a temper, he was so damned protective, had always been, there was no way Logan had killed Lilly. If he had, by accident, he would have stuck around, called an ambulance, done everything he could until they dragged him away. He would never have run.

When she looked back, Logan was frowning, staring down at his fists. She covered his hands with hers, and gently pried his fingers apart so she could lace them with hers. She waited, and finally he looked into her eyes again.

"Do you believe me?" he asked, his voice raw.

"Yes." She nodded without hesitation. "I believe you."

He nearly collapsed with relief. She squeezed his hands. "Logan, we have to tell someone about this. It will look so much worse if they find out."

"How are they going to find out?" he asked. "Can I think about it?"

"Yeah. But not forever."

"Okay," he said. He licked his lips. "Your turn," he said.

She knew this was coming. It was part of the deal. So she told him about the photos. There wasn't much to tell, honestly, except that she had found them and she didn't know who had taken them.

"That's it?" he said. "There's nothing else you're hiding from me?"

She paused. Now or never, Veronica thought. Maybe there was a middle ground. "There's one other thing," she said. She felt his hands tense.

"Lay it on me," he said.

"I can't," she managed. "I will, but…not tonight."

"Veronica." He sounded exasperated. With good reason, she thought, considering he had just laid bare some very damaging secrets of his own.

"I know," she said. "I'm asking a lot. But here's the thing. This isn't something I know, it's just something I _think_. I need a little time to verify it. If it turns out I'm wrong, then I'll tell you and we can laugh about it. If it turns out I'm right, I'll tell you, and we'll figure it out from there."

"You _are_ asking a lot," Logan grumbled.

"Just a couple of weeks. And I'm telling you there is another secret, I'm not _hiding_ it, exactly, I just…there's no sense worrying about it if it's nothing. And it has nothing to do with Lilly."

"Will you have to confront any creepy men to look into it? Go to deserted warehouses at night? Infiltrate a serial killer's lair?"

"No," she laughed. "Computer research. And maybe a visit to a government office or two. That's it, I promise. There's nothing dangerous about this, it's just…a thing."

He sighed, but he was smiling. "Two weeks," he said. "You get two weeks, and then you come clean."

"Thank you," she said, and meant it. "Well, I think that went rather well, don't you?"

He snickered. "I suppose," he said, and then got serious again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Did…did Lilly and Weevil ever…"

"Ever what?"

"Did Lilly ever…see Weevil?"

She leaned back in surprise. "No," she said. "What makes you ask?"

He squeezed her hands, which were still laced with his. "This morning, when we were painting, I noticed that Weevil has this tattoo on his shoulder. A heart with Lilly inside it. I asked him about it, and he said his sister's name is Lilly."

Veronica bit her lip. Lilly and Weevil? It was so odd to think, and yet, wouldn't that have been just like Lilly, looking for a guy who would piss off her parents as much as possible. Logan was searching her face, looking for answers she couldn't give him.

"Logan, she never said anything to me about it. She never told me, so if there was something, she kept it to herself."

"There were others, though. I mean, not just when we broke up and stuff. While we were dating. She was seeing other people sometimes, wasn't she?"

"Logan—"

"No, it's okay. I want to know. Please." She couldn't take the look in his eyes.

"Yeah," she said. "Sometimes she was. But Logan, none of them meant anything to her, not like you did. She loved you. I know that."

He let out a long breath, closed his eyes. "Yeah. Just not like I loved her. It's okay."

Veronica could feel his pain, and struggled not to reach out and wrap her arms around him. Sometimes she wanted Lilly alive so she could give her a good talking to. When he opened his eyes again, he half smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe it's something about me, you know?" he said. "Lilly's not the only girl to cheat on me. Hell, my own dad—"

"Logan, shhh. Stop." She pulled one hand out of his and laid it against his cheek, shifted onto her knees, then leaned in and kissed him on the other cheek. "There's nothing about you, so stop that." She kissed his cheek again.

Then she moved her head, and her lips were sliding against his. He made a sound – or maybe that was her – and pressed forward, mashing their lips together. She hung tightly to his hand and slid the hand on his cheek around to the back of his neck and up through his hair.

They both gasped in the same moment, and then his tongue slid against hers. He yanked his hand free from her grip, freeing her to tangle that one in his hair too. He pulled her closer, his hands fisting in the back of her shirt.

After an eternity, they broke apart, their breath coming in gasps. She stared into his eyes, which she was sure were as wide and shocked as her own.

_Oh, crap._

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N3: Thank you to all the lovely reviewers, you make my day. I hope I wasn't too evil with this ending, but it felt right to me. And will tantalize you until I can update again, so don't hate me too much!

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	8. Chapter 8: Not So Much Like a Virgin

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: Thank you to all my reviewers and everyone who is still following and favoriting this story, and reviewing my other piece, _Spill It, Lilly_. Comments over there and on here assured me that I haven't lost my audience just because of the delay. Sorry about that, by the way...I got writer's block on this story _and_ have been supremely busy with other writing. But I'll try not to let it go so long next time. (By the way, I wish I had time to respond to each reviewer. Please know that I cherish you all.)

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Logan finds out how tough Veronica's life has been for the past year and gets shit-faced to drown out the guilt. A very drunk Logan spills his guts about why he was mad at Veronica, and they work together to get their hands on Lilly's unpaid ticket, revealing the time-of-death discrepancy. An enraged Troy attacks Veronica, and Logan arrives in time to do what he had wanted to do since he met the guy: beat the crap out of Troy. Logan and Veronica promise to be honest with each other, but neither keeps their promise. Logan starts having lunch with Veronica and Wallace, and Dick and Beaver join them. Veronica asks Logan to help with the murder investigation, and he agrees. Veronica finds out that Aaron beats Logan. Logan and Weevil get to know each other while in detention. Veronica learns that Logan has been keeping a lot of information from her, and during a long "immune" conversation, he reveals the truth about her mother, and his lack of an alibi for the day Lilly was murdered. She in turn tells him that she has a secret she can't tell him yet, and he gives her two weeks. He asks her if Lilly was ever with Weevil, and questions whether there is something wrong with him. In an attempt to comfort him, Veronica accidentally initiates a kiss. Oh, crap.

Chapter Eight: Not So Much Like a Virgin

_Image is everything, so they say. Dress to impress. Fake it until you make it. Talk the talk until you can walk the walk. That last one might not be right – where's Logan when I need him?_

Veronica shook her head furiously. No, that was exactly the wrong thing to be thinking. She didn't _need_ Logan. Certainly not need. She might _want_ – to talk to him, that is – but never _need_.

She squirmed in the hard desk chair at Mars Investigations and tried to re-focus on the task at hand. Her laptop was in front of her, and she had the Lilly Kane investigation program open. She reviewed the list of suspects.

_Jake Kane_. From all appearances, a doting father. Jake had never treated Lilly with the open disdain Celeste had. He had sometimes expressed disappointment and frustration with her wilder tendencies, but Veronica had seen his amused and indulgent smiles. He loved his lively daughter. What could have sent him over the edge to kill her? Veronica couldn't come up with a single thing. Why had her own father suspected Jake? That was a question she was going to need answered before too long. Then there was her newest information: Lianne Mars and Jake Kane were a couple back in high school, and were likely having an affair recently, an affair that Celeste was aware of.

_Celeste Kane_. Mommy dearest resented Lilly. Veronica had sensed that easily. Celeste hadn't approved of her daughter, and expressed her disappointment and distaste in the way she looked at her, spoke with her, and took her to task for things that Duncan could easily get away with. Veronica could imagine Celeste losing it and accidentally killing Lilly, but what would have done it? And, of course, Celeste, knowing about Lianne's affair with Jake, had sent Lianne photos of Veronica framed in gunsights and threatened her into leaving Neptune. How did that fit in? Did one have anything to do with the other?

_Duncan Kane_. Veronica drew a blank on this one. He couldn't remember the days surrounding the murder. He had been acting weird and distant for a couple of weeks before that and broke up with Veronica. Lilly had told her that it was for the best. None of it made sense.

_Logan Echolls_. Well, now she knew that his alibi was false, that he was in Neptune at the time of the murder, and that he was pissed off at Lilly. According to Logan, he had left a note in Lilly's car at the car wash and then went home and locked himself in his room. She had been honest when she told him she believed him, but something about his story was troubling her: where was the note? She had checked the inventory lists that morning and found no evidence of any note from Logan to Lilly. The shot glass (reading "I got baked in Ensenada") was in her car, corroborating his story, to a point. She wanted to trust Logan, but the missing note was planting a seed of doubt. She shook it off.

_Abel Koontz_. The confessed murderer, with a motive – albeit a slightly strange one. Of course, there was the matter of the shoes that should not have been on his houseboat because they were in Lilly's room _after_ she had been murdered.

After thinking in circles about her next step, she had decided she had only one choice: go straight to the source.

She looked up and smiled when Cliff McCormack entered.

"Just the person I wanted to see," she said, beaming. "Can I get you some coffee, a donut, baked good of some sort?"

"Aren't we pleasant?" said Cliff, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "You're not going to try to sell me a raffle ticket, are you?" He wandered over to Keith's office and peered inside. It was empty.

Veronica waited for Cliff to turn back to her, and then she tilted her head to the side and gave him her most winning smile. "I want you to get me onto death row to meet Abel Koontz."

Cliff stared at her a moment, and then laughed sarcastically. He muttered something about hula hoops and phone booths, but when she told him he was serious, he frowned and shook his head.

"He alone decides who he'll see, and so far, he's seen no one," Cliff said.

Veronica brushed that off, and held up the two photos she had been staring at, one of Lilly's shoes in her bedroom and one of Lamb holding up the evidence bag with the very same shoes. He looked at them and then at her curiously.

"Do these look like the same pair of shoes to you?" she asked, shaking the photos in his direction.

Cliff squinted at the photos and shrugged. "I guess so. Why?"

"One of those photos was taken in Lilly's room after her murder," she said. "The other is from Koontz's houseboat, two months later. Why would Abel Koontz break back into the Kane house simply to steal a pair of shoes?"

Understanding dawned on Cliff's features. "Your dad didn't page me, did he?" He sighed. "Write Koontz a letter stating your case, and I'll make sure he gets it."

He gathered up his briefcase and left, shaking his head with a rueful smile.

Veronica sat back in her chair with a satisfied smile on her face. Now she just had to write a convincing letter to Koontz. Who might he most want to see?

On the desk, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the display and grimaced. Logan again. He had called three times already today, and she wasn't any more ready to talk to him now than she had been an hour ago. She let the call go to voicemail, knowing that he was probably tearing a hole in his carpet with all his pacing.

But what was she supposed to do? She had _told_ him she needed a little time to think before they talked. About it. For the millionth time, her mind raced backwards to the beach the night before.

_"Maybe it's something about me, you know?" Logan said. "Lilly's not the only girl to cheat on me. Hell, my own dad—"_

_"Logan, shhh. Stop." She pulled one hand out of his and laid it against his cheek, shifted onto her knees, then leaned in and kissed him on the other cheek. "There's nothing about you, so stop that." She kissed his cheek again_.

_Then she moved her head, and her lips were sliding against his. He made a sound – or maybe that was her – and pressed forward, mashing their lips together. She hung tightly to his hand and slid the hand on his cheek around to the back of his neck and up through his hair._

_They both gasped in the same moment, and then his tongue slid against hers. He yanked his hand free from her grip, freeing her to tangle that one in his hair too. He pulled her closer, his hands fisting in the back of her shirt._

_After an eternity, they broke apart, their breath coming in gasps. She stared into his eyes, which she was sure were as wide and shocked as her own._

Oh, crap.

_Veronica was frozen in place. Her heart beat in her ears, not a thudding, but a quick, uneven patter._

I just kissed Logan Echolls. Or did Logan Echolls just kiss me? Why did that happen? And why do I want it to happen again? God, I want to do that again.

_Logan's expression changed from shock to...something else. As if she had spoken out loud, he leaned towards her._

_She leaned back, put one hand on his chest._

_"What are you doing?" she asked._ Oh god, _she wondered,_ did I say all that out loud?

_"You looked at me like…like you wanted that to happen again."_

_So she hadn't spoken out loud, but he could read her thoughts anyway._ Great.

_She didn't respond, didn't move. They watched each other warily. Then he leaned forward slightly. She left her hand on his chest, but didn't resist. He moved a few inches closer, and then closer still._

_When his lips were a whisper from hers, he spoke. "If the answer is no, Veronica, say no."_

_He waited. She didn't speak._

_Suddenly, her cell phone rang. She jumped, and then scrambled backwards. Logan sat back and ran a hand through his hair, rolling his eyes._

_She found her phone in her pocket and glanced at the display._

_"It's my dad," she said. "And it's eleven forty-five. I was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago."_

_She answered the phone as she got to her feet. "Hi, Dad," she said, a little too breathlessly. "Sorry, we lost track of the time. I'm coming right home."_

_She listened as he told her he'd be waiting, and hung up. She replaced the phone in her pocket and brushed at her jeans, trying to get the sand off. A few feet away, she heard Logan stand up and do the same. Without looking at him, she turned and began walking back up the beach towards his car._

_He didn't catch up with her, but she heard him walking behind her. They climbed the steps to the parking lot in silence. She waited by the passenger door until she heard locks release, opened the door, and climbed inside._

_When they were both in the car, he put the keys in the ignition but didn't start the engine._

_"Veronica," he began, but she cut him off._

_"I really have to get home," she said. "I think Dad's being lenient because of the whole Sarah thing, but I don't want him to worry."_

_Logan sighed, and started the car. Neither spoke as he drove them back to her apartment complex. When he pulled in, she released her seatbelt and opened the door, scooting out as quickly as she could._

_"Veronica, wait-"_

_She turned back to him. "Thanks for coming by tonight. I'm glad we were honest with each other."_

_"Don't you think we should talk-"_

_"We talked enough tonight. Immunity, remember?" She smiled. "I'll see you in school."_

_She slammed the door and ran until she was safely inside her apartment._

Now, sitting in the office, her phone rang again. It looked like Logan wasn't going to leave this alone.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan sat at Veronica's table at lunch on Monday and tapped his foot. He looked around the courtyard once, twice, a third time. He checked his watch. He tapped his foot even more vigorously, and then repeated the routine.

"Dude. I'm getting carsick over here."

Logan glanced to his left, at where Dick sat, one foot on the bench. "What?"

Dick waved at Logan's leg, which was bouncing up and down and causing the entire lunch table to vibrate. "Will you chill? Or go sit next to Wallace."

Across the table Wallace shook his head. "Nunh-unh," he grumbled. "Besides, I can already feel the Logan-quake on this side too."

Logan stopped tapping his foot and frowned as he looked around again.

"Can we please eat?" asked Wallace, looking longingly at the pile of paper sacks in the middle of the table. "I think there are burgers in there. With pickles on them. You know how I love pickles."

"Leave one bag for Veronica," said Logan, looking around again.

Wallace and Dick tore into the sacks and had their mouths full of burger in seconds. Logan smirked and shook his head. Then he checked his watch.

"Hey, man, is there room for me?"

The three boys looked up to find Duncan hovering to the side of the table. He grinned at Logan and held up a sack of his own. "There are cheese fries in here."

"Sit down, sit down," said Wallace, waving Duncan over with his hand. "And you can set those cheese fries right there in the middle."

Duncan slid onto the bench next to Wallace, and Logan peered at him. What was Duncan doing here? He had shown absolutely no interest in being friends with Veronica – had actually said he didn't want to be – until the week before. Then he started hanging around, asking about her. Logan didn't like it.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence today, DK?" he asked.

Duncan shrugged. "You and Dick have been sitting here for a week. I came to see what the fuss was all about." He turned to Wallace. "Hi," he said. "I'm Duncan Kane."

"I know that," said Wallace around mouth full of a half dozen fries. "Wallace Fennel."

Duncan studied Wallace. "So, you and Veronica seem to be pretty close," he said.

"Yeah, well…I was new and had no friends, and she was abandoned by her friends, so it just kind of worked out." Wallace's casual tone masked the dig of the words, but Logan got his meaning. From the look on Duncan's face, he did too. He shifted on the bench and concentrated on his own burger.

After a minute, he looked up. "By the way, Dick, you might want to check on your girlfriend. She spent last week bitching about where you were sitting, and today she's practically in Enbom's lap."

"No way in hell," said Dick, jumping up from his seat. "Sorry, compadres, I have to go see to my woman." He strode across the quad to the 09er tables.

Logan looked around the courtyard again. "Wallace, where the hell is she?"

Wallace studied Logan. "I don't know," he said. "Personally, I was assuming you pissed her off again somehow and she was avoiding you. But, you know, that's just because it's happened a bunch of times before."

Logan swallowed. She hadn't answered any of his calls or texts yesterday, and he hadn't been able to find her all morning. He was pretty sure Wallace was right: Veronica was avoiding him. It had to be because of the kiss. It couldn't be because of the secrets he told her, could it? About his alibi, about her mother? She had promised him immunity for that.

No, it had to be about the kiss.

It had probably taken her by surprise. Hell, it had taken him by surprise. He wasn't even sure who had started it, just that it had started and he didn't want it to stop. The feel of her lips against his, her hands in his hair, the scent of her perfume, the little noises she made…thinking about it again made his pulse speed up. This was the second time he had kissed Veronica, and while the first had made him think, the second had made him want. More.

But when he went to kiss her again, she had retreated. Just when he thought she was going to let him, her phone rang and it gave her the escape she seemed to want.

Well, that was fine. If she wanted to pretend it didn't happen, he could handle that. For a while. What he _couldn't_ handle was if she retreated entirely. He had been starting to rely on the friendship they were rebuilding.

"Did Veronica try out for the cheerleading squad?"

At Duncan's question, Logan snapped back to reality. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Duncan pointed towards the school, and Logan turned his head. His mouth dropped open. Standing just outside the doors were Meg Manning and Veronica, who was inexplicably dressed in a Neptune High cheerleading uniform. A uniform that fit her tiny form perfectly. The girls were talking, and Meg gestured towards the 09er table. Veronica shook her head with a smile, and then strode quickly along the edge of the courtyard towards the parking lot.

Without a word to the other guys, Logan vaulted off of the bench and jogged after her. He caught up with her in the parking lot.

"Veronica," he called out. When she didn't turn, and continued walking forward purposefully, he tried again. "Ronnie!"

She stopped and looked over her shoulder. He caught a flash of a smile, and then a blush, and she glanced towards her car as if she was contemplating a mad dash escape. Thankfully, she chose to stay where she was, but she looked at the ground.

"Hey," he said, coming to a stop in front of her. "What are you wearing? And where are you going?"

"Meg's cheerleading uniform," Veronica said, shooting him a glance through her eyelashes. "And I'm going home to get some real clothes."

"What happened to the clothes you were wearing this morning?" he asked, confused. He hadn't been able to find Veronica that morning, but he was pretty sure he would have noticed if she had been walking around the school naked. The thought made him swallow hard.

She shook her head. "They got…ruined. No big deal. Meg had this, and she was nice enough to let me wear it instead of my towel. I think the towel made me look fat."

His eyes narrowed. "How did your clothes get ruined?"

"Logan, don't worry about it." She glanced over her shoulder. He could almost see her figuring out if she could make it to her car before he caught up with her.

"You see, you _say_ that, and it just makes me worry about it more. Come on, Veronica. What happened?"

She sighed. "Someone cut them to shreds and stuffed them in a toilet while I was in the shower after gym class."

He clenched his teeth and reached up to tug on his hair. "Who?"

"I have my suspicions. Like I said, don't worry about it. I'll handle it."

He watched her. She was looking right at him now, her chin jutted out, as if daring him to challenge her ability to handle it on her own. He wasn't going to take that dare, but he also wasn't planning to follow her instructions to stay out of it. He had a suspicion as well. It looked like his last talk with Madison, after the slashed tire incident, hadn't made an impression.

"Fine," he said. "So…I've been trying to get in touch with you."

"I know."

"You've been ignoring my calls."

"Yeah."

"Did you notice that I haven't yet camped outside your apartment or the office? Banged down the door? I'm growing."

That got a chuckle out of her. He grinned.

"Any chance you're free after school?" he asked. "To, you know, work on the case?"

She tensed, and he tried not to show how much that twisted his gut. There was maybe two feet between them, but it may as well have been two feet of solid concrete. He wanted to reach out for her, but could sense that would just make her take a step back, and he couldn't handle that.

"Actually," she said, "I have plans with Wallace today. We're watching a boxing match at his place."

That took him aback. "Really?" he asked.

"Well," she said, "the activity is Wallace's choice. But I've been neglecting him, so…some other time?"

"Sure," he said. He didn't say anything else. He suspected it wouldn't help to bring up the kiss.

"Okay. I have to…I really have to go." She gave him a quick smile and then ran off, the short skirt of the cheerleading outfit bouncing around her. He watched as she got into the LeBaron and drove off, not looking back.

One more day, he decided. He'd give her one more day before he chased her down and made her talk to him.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_Okay, Veronica. Let's call a spade a spade. You ran away from Logan so fast you left skid marks on the pavement, and he knows it. He can see right through you. Why doesn't that make you more nervous?_

Veronica cursed at herself as she drove home. Logan hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he was being…decent, letting her avoid him without making too big of a deal about it. That was good, because she just wasn't ready to deal with him yet. She wondered how long he would let that go on before he "camped outside" the apartment or the office. She was betting she had another day, two at the most.

Once she had shed the cheerleading uniform in favor of her own clothes, she decided to take advantage of his willingness to keep his distance and get some things done rather than going back to school.

Her first stop was to the Balboa County Registry. She climbed the stone steps to the official-looking building with trepidation. Did she really want the answers that would be inside the giant glass doors?

"Hi," she said to the grumpy-looking woman behind the vital statistics desk. "I was wondering if I could get a copy of a birth certificate."

Without a word, the woman reached under the counter and produced a sheet of paper, which she slid across the desk to Veronica. It was a birth certificate request form. Veronica took it and a pen from the cup on the counter, and filled it out. She considered using a fake name, but didn't want to derail her chances of getting the copy if they checked her identification. When she was done, she handed the woman the form.

Glancing it over, the woman said, "you know you can't get an official copy if it's not your own. Informational purposes only."

"That's fine," said Veronica.

The woman disappeared through a door. Ten minutes later, she came back and held out a sheet of paper. Veronica took it and looked it over as she left the building. That was easier than she thought it would be, but now that she had it, it simply raised more questions.

Logan Aaron Echolls, born May 22, 1987, 3:33 AM, Neptune Hospital, Neptune, California.

Mother, Lynn Lester.

Father, Aaron Echolls.

Veronica got into her car and stared into space. So Logan's birth certificate listed Aaron as his father. Did that mean the P.I. search engine was wrong? She pulled out her phone and called her own father.

"Hey, honey. Everything okay?" Keith's voice was anxious. He had left town that morning to chase a bail-jumper in Texas, and wasn't going to be back for at least another day.

"Everything's fine. I just have a P.I. question."

"Shoot."

"If someone is listed as your mother or father on your birth certificate, does that mean for sure that they are your biological parent?"

There was silence from the other end. Finally, Keith said, "not necessarily. If two people are married when a child is born, usually the husband is presumed to be the biological father without a paternity test and is entered as the father on the birth certificate. Adoptions also alter the birth certificate - a new certificate is issued when the adoption is finalized, with the adoptive parents' names in place of the biological parents' names. There's no way of knowing someone is adopted just by looking at the birth certificate, usually. Why do you ask?"

"Oh..." Veronica thought quickly. "Something for health class. Nothing important. Thanks. You catch the criminal yet?"

"Not yet. I've tracked him to Dallas, but there's a cold trail. I'm waiting for a couple of sources to get back to me. You doing okay on your own?"

Veronica assured her father that everything was fine, told him she loved him, and hung up.

Driving home, she considered her next steps. The birth certificate was a dead end. There were a lot of possibilities as to why Aaron's name was on the birth certificate, including that he was actually Logan's father. She'd check and see when Aaron and Lynn were married, and then...was it possible to order a paternity test without Logan or Aaron knowing she was doing it? She'd have to look into it. It was the only way to know for sure, but then again, was it her place to decide whether Logan should know?

The next morning, Veronica entered Neptune High giddy with anticipation. The previous afternoon, while at Wallace's house, she had learned about the purity test that had been emailed to everyone in school - including Wallace's respectable score of 70 - as well as the fact that someone had set up a website where you could purchase anyone's purity test for ten dollars.

The shit, as it were, was about to hit the fan, and Veronica wanted a front row seat.

The scene in the hallways did not disappoint. Purity test scores were scrawled across lockers, kids were chasing after each other waving tests and yelling, and there was general chaos. Veronica was glad she hadn't bothered to take the test, so there was no way she had to be a part of this.

_I can just watch them all self-destruct and smile._

She was doing just that when she sensed someone standing next to her. She looked up.

"Good morning," Logan said with a smirk. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

A girl ran in front of them, chased by another girl, who was shouting, "have you ever slept with your best friend's boyfriend? Yes!"

Veronica shrugged. "There is a certain...smug satisfaction that I am feeling." She glanced at him. "What about you? Are your deepest secrets vulnerable?"

"If you're asking if I took the test, no, I didn't. I don't need a test to tell me how pure I am."

"You mean how _un_-pure. Have you ever done it? Yes. Have you ever done it in a car? Yes. Have you ever done it on the beach? Yes. Have you ever done it in her parents' bedroom? Yes."

Logan ran his hand through his hair. "I guess Lilly wasn't exactly private about...us," he muttered.

He looked embarrassed, which was so un-Logan that she almost couldn't stand it.

"Have you ever kissed your best friend's ex?" she said softly. "Yes."

His gaze shot to her face. He watched her for a minute, and then she elbowed him. "Well, I didn't take the test either. I can just imagine what people _think_ my score should be. Best not to give them the chance to satisfy their curiosity."

He looked like he was about to say something, but her attention was drawn to Meg, who was standing at her locker, furiously scrubbing at a "48" painted there. Her boyfriend, Cole, was holding a stack of paper and yelling at her about her answers on a purity test under her name. Veronica started over just as Cole stormed off.

Meg stopped scrubbing at the painted number and looked up at her. "I didn't even do anything," she said.

"I know," said Veronica.

"You believe me?" Meg blinked back tears, and Veronica smiled.

"Meg, you're the last good person at this school. I'd believe cartoon birds braided your hair this morning. If you want, I can find who posted that test for you. We'll clear your name and make somebody pay."

"Do you want me to have someone put a can of tuna fish in his exhaust system?"

At Logan's voice, Veronica realized he had followed her. She shot him a grateful look as Meg laughed.

"No," she said. "Well...maybe. But not yet. I'll give him a chance to repent."

"See?" said Veronica. "The last good person at this school."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan strolled through the parking lot beside Dick, who was going on about a new spot he had heard about where the waves were "bitchin'."

"So, Saturday, we'll get some brews and go check it out."

"Yeah, sure," said Logan. He spotted Veronica, who was looking around as if she was searching for someone. Him? That morning, after talking to Meg, Veronica had dashed off to class and he hadn't had a chance to talk to her further. She was a master of avoidance, that was for sure.

Veronica smiled then and took off in the direction of a brunette with a blue streak in her hair who was hitting the window of an old beat-up car and swearing. Veronica said something to the girl, and then pulled a binder out of her bag, broke the plastic binding out of it, and then slid it in between the window and the door. A moment later, she popped the door open with a small smile.

"Hey, Dick, I'll catch you later," he said, and jogged over to the car.

"How did you know I was good with computers?" the other girl was asking as he approached.

"Is this how you get into our cars to mess with the engines?" Logan asked, leaning against the hood of the clunker.

Veronica turned and smirked at him. "I know not of which you speak," she said, batting her eyelashes in fake innocence. "Logan, this is Mac. Mac, Logan."

"Hey," said Mac.

Logan nodded in greeting. "Can I ask why you're bothering to break into this junk heap when there are Beemers and Porsches hanging out in the same parking lot?"

"It's my car," said Mac.

"Right. Sorry," said Logan.

Mac shrugged. "It's okay. It is a junk heap. I locked my keys inside, and for some reason, Otto here took pity on me."

Logan grinned at the Repo Man reference.

"I need to chat with Mac for a bit," Veronica said to Logan. "Was there something you needed?"

He searched her face, which was carefully blank. As if she didn't know what he needed. He needed to know where they stood.

"Nothing in particular," he said. "You around tonight, or..."

"Not tonight," she said. "But...what are you doing tomorrow? You could come by after school. There's something I need to show you."

He raised his eyebrows. "Sure," he said. "I'll let you get back to..." he waved his hand in the direction of Mac's car, "...your criminal activities."

She rolled her eyes as he walked away.

The next afternoon, Logan knocked on Veronica's apartment door. After a moment, she opened it.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied.

She opened the door wider to let him in. This was now the second time he had been in her apartment, and he was struck by how at home he felt. His own house felt like a museum to him, cold and unwelcoming.

"So..." she said.

"So. Where's the Sheriff?" He looked down the hall, listened, but didn't hear anyone else moving around.

"He's in Dallas. And he's not the Sheriff. And he's coming home tonight. Not for another few hours, though." Veronica shut the door and moved toward her bedroom. "Coming?" she said over her shoulder, and he followed.

She went straight to her computer, where she fiddled with the keys and then turned the screen to face him. There was a photo of Veronica, inexplicably standing by a sign that said, "Stallingsburg, Virginia." Also on the screen was an open document.

"Dear Mr Koontz," Logan read out loud, "my name is Ellen White and I'm a graduate student in criminology at San Diego State University. I also happen to be from your home town. I would love the opportunity to talk with you."

He straightened up. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't go crazy. Just read the rest, and I'll explain."

He studied her for a moment, and then turned back to the screen. The rest of the letter talked about how she was working on a project for a class and wanted to interview Abel Koontz. He read it through twice, examined the odd photo, and as he straightened up again, he noticed that her desk was littered with newspaper clippings about Koontz and his involvement in Lilly's murder.

"Explain, please," he said, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Well," said Veronica, "I was thinking that we needed an opportunity to talk with Koontz face to face. To try to figure out why he might have confessed if he's not guilty. I'd like to talk with him. But if he did confess for some hidden reason, he's unlikely to agree to talk to anyone directly connected with the Kanes. So...I made up an image I thought he'd like."

"Hang on a second. You're going to visit Koontz on death row?"

"That's the plan," said Veronica.

He clenched his fists. "No fucking way," he said. "No way are you doing that."

Veronica stood to face him. "Relax," she said. "I'm keeping up my end of the deal, here. I don't think there's anything dangerous about this - the guy is in maximum security prison. They're not going to put me in a room with him, I'll be talking to him through one of those glass panes. But I'm telling you so you can be a part of it."

"There is _too_ something dangerous," he growled. "If Koontz is hiding something and thinks you're digging, he could arrange for something to happen to you."

She shook her head. "He won't know who I am. He'll think I'm Miss Ellen White from Stallingsburg."

Logan stared at her, and she stared back. He knew that look in her eye, the one that said she wasn't asking his permission, just giving him a chance to be involved.

"Fine," he said, through clenched teeth. "But I'm coming with you."

"Good," she said. "Assuming he'll even see me. He might not, you know. This may be a dead end."

She walked out of the bedroom, and he followed her into the kitchen area, where she busied herself locating bowls and spoons and pulling out a carton of ice cream. "I'm in need of sustenance. Cookie dough okay with you?" she asked.

He nodded. He waited for her to dish out the ice cream, and accepted his bowl. She moved to sit on the sofa. Rather than sitting in the armchair, he sat next to her.

After eating in silence for a few minutes, he decided that he'd let the Koontz thing go, for now. She was right, there was nothing to worry about unless Koontz agreed to see Ellen White, and she was letting him in on her plan and giving him the opportunity to go along. She was at least meeting her end of the bargain.

He turned to her. "Have you gotten anywhere with Meg's fake purity test mystery?"

"Maybe," she said. "That girl Mac, the one with the blue hair from yesterday? She gave me some insight into how one might get someone else's Neptune account password. I asked Lizzie Manning if she-"

"Meg's sister?"

"Yeah, I asked her if she had posted the fake test and she denied it. I'm not sure I believe her, but we'll see. I also tried to get the hot French IT guy to give me someone's password, I even offered to pay, but he refused. Someone is getting them from somewhere, though." She took a bite of ice cream. "I had to change mine today."

"Yeah, I...saw your locker. I take it you didn't take the test?"

She snorted. "No, but I did splurge and buy mine, just to see it."

"So, let's hear it, Mars. Have you ever done a reverse cowgirl?"

She elbowed him. "Apparently, I've pleasured the swim team while jacked up on goofballs."

"Good to know," he said, setting his empty bowl on the coffee table. He let her scoop the last bit of ice cream from hers, and then took the bowl and spoon out of her hands and set them aside as well. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"What's up, Echolls?"

"You've got a little bit of ice cream..." he leaned in, and when she didn't retreat, he leaned closer. "Just...about...here."

He lightly kissed her lower lip, and heard her intake of breath. It made him smile. He kissed her lightly again, and then harder. He framed her face with his hands and felt her wrap her arms around his shoulders. After a moment, he retreated, searching her face. She was smiling.

"What are we doing?" she asked breathlessly.

"No idea," he said, and kissed her again. "Does it matter?"

"Maybe," she said. "Can we just...keep this...thing to ourselves for a little while? Until we know what's..."

He silenced her with his mouth, leaning over her until she sank back into the sofa cushions. His hands slid down to play with the hem of her shirt, tracing the edge and slipping underneath to touch the soft skin of her hip before retreating and playing with the hem again. She slipped her own hands under his shirt and touched his back, and he pressed closer.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and it swung open. Logan jumped backwards and Veronica scrambled into a sitting position as Wallace stomped into the room, frowning. When he spotted them - Veronica was trying to subtly wipe her mouth, Logan noted with a smirk - he stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, Wallace," she said. "You're a little early. You, um...ready to put the hurt on the pythagorean theorem?"

Wallace took a moment, looking back and forth between them before he answered. "You don't even wanna mess with me on that today. I just about murked my mom's crazy, no-rent-paying tenant this afternoon."

"That guy's sleazy," muttered Veronica, "so I hope 'murked' means something bad. You know, my dad's still got that Sheriff sheen. He's great at scaring people away."

Logan snorted, and she shot him an amused look.

"She's right," said Logan. "Keith Mars is a scary bastard when he wants to be."

"You should talk to him," said Veronica.

"Maybe," said Wallace. "So...we doing homework, or...should I let you two get back to pretending not to make out on the couch?"

Logan grinned, and Veronica scowled.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_So Meg wants to know if it ever bothers me, what people say about me. I told her no, but wasn't I just saying image is everything? I guess the real answer is that it depends on who's listening._

The other night, she had said an awkward goodbye to Logan - she had basically waved at him and pushed him out the door - and then settled in to do homework with Wallace. Wallace wasn't willing to leave well enough alone, of course.

"So. You and Echolls," he had said, with a knowing smile.

"Shut up, Fennel," she had warned. "There is no 'me and Echolls,' and if that gets repeated outside this room I swear to God I will-"

"Okay, okay, no need to get all defensive," he had laughed, holding his hands up in the air. "Can't say I'm surprised. That guy is nuts about you. That sort of devotion can be mighty hard to resist."

She had looked at Wallace incredulously, then put a hand to his forehead. "Are you running a fever? I think you're delirious."

Wallace had rolled his eyes and opened his math book, and she had let the subject drop, but the observation had gotten under her skin.

Nuts about her? Clearly not. They were barely friends again, after spending a year hating each other. So they had had a couple of kisses, that meant nothing except they were both seventeen and single and...okay, she would admit that Logan was totally hot.

But were other people making similar observations about her and Logan? Sure, they ate lunch together pretty regularly now, and yes, they sat together in a few classes, and okay, they stopped by each other's lockers, but...

_Oh God, do people think we're dating?_ _Does_ Duncan _think we're dating?_

"Ten bucks a pop, man," said Mac, pulling Veronica out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she said, blinking at the computer screen. She was hovering over Mac, while the computer whiz worked some magic.

"I was just saying, somebody's getting rich," said Mac. "I know some kids who have ordered dozens."

"Did you order any?" asked Veronica.

"You think that I have ten dollars to spare? You've seen my car, right?"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Can you email me the info on the dummy corporation anyway? There might be something."

Mac nodded, and then switched places with Veronica so Veronica could log on and retrieve the email. While she typed in her new password, she tried to get her mind back on the case.

The day before, Meg hadn't come to school, so Veronica had gone over to her house. The poor girl was a wreck over this purity test thing. Meg had asked Veronica whether it bothered her to hear what people said about her, and Veronica had shrugged it off, telling Meg that she had to get tough, and get even. That's where Veronica came in, and she was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and make someone pay. For Meg, not for herself...although that would be a nice side benefit.

She had also gotten the call from the prison that Koontz was willing to see her on Friday afternoon. She supposed she should see if Logan was free. She would go without him if he wasn't but she had a feeling he'd make sure to be available.

_And just like that, I'm thinking of Logan again. Get a grip, Veronica._

"Huh," she said, when the computer beeped an error message. "The computer won't let me access my account."

Mac clicked the mouse and examined the screen. "Someone's logged on as you right now. It says they're on a computer in the journalism classroom."

She and Mac looked at each other, and then jumped up and ran out the door together. They reached the journalism classroom just as the bell was ringing. The room was empty...almost.

"Hey, Mars," said Logan, who was standing just inside the doorway. "Where's the fire drill?"

Veronica eyed him. "Did you just get here?" she asked._ It couldn't be him, right?_ She dismissed the thought immediately.

"Yeah," he said.

"Did you see anyone in here?" she asked, looking around the dark classroom.

He shook his head. "No."

She wandered around the room and found an active computer. Sure enough, it appeared to be open to her Neptune account. Her email program was open, and she scanned it.

Mac sat down next to her, and Logan hovered behind them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"So how hush-hush are the contents of your mailbox?" asked Mac, ignoring him.

"Just homework and class schedules. Anything on the QT, I keep in my personal email, not my Neptune - Oh god." She clicked around, and her heart dropped.

"What?" asked Mac.

"My outbox. There's an email from me to my ex-boyfriend."

"Duncan Kane?"

Veronica and Logan glanced at Mac in surprise. Mac blushed.

"You used to be all anyone gossiped about. You still are, just…in a different way. So what does it say?" she asked.

Veronica swallowed hard and read the email out loud. "Dear Duncan. I want you to know that I still love you very much and I think about you constantly. Every time I see you, my heart breaks. I need to tell you that when we were dating I had VD. I hope you didn't catch anything from me." Veronica turned to face Mac. "Am I naked? Because in my nightmares, I'm usually naked."

She heard a noise behind her, and glanced over her shoulder at Logan. His jaw was clenched.

"What?" she asked.

"So you didn't send that email?"

"No! And I don't have VD either." She glared at him. He raised his hands in defense.

"Just asking."

The computer beeped to indicate an incoming instant message. The three of them turned to the screen to see that someone named "Froggy" was asking, "where'd u go?"

"Someone wants to chat with whoever's pretending to be you," said Mac.

"They think I'm still whoever was on my account."

"But the bell's rung. They'd know that whoever it is would have left for their next class."

"Unless they're not at school," remarked Logan.

Veronica thought for a moment, and then responded to the message with "Can you get a password for me"

The response was immediate. "Another one?"

Veronica turned to grin at Mac and Logan. "We have all the information we need."

She got to her feet and hurried out of the room, Mac and Logan trailing behind her.

"We do? Wait, Veronica. Who is Froggy, do we know?" asked Mac, confused.

Veronica just smiled. "I've got it from here. Thanks for all your help, Mac."

Mac studied her for a second, and then shrugged. "Anytime. See you guys." She turned and strolled away.

Veronica looked up at Logan. "Don't you have class?"

"Free period," he said. "You?"

"English. I should get there, I'm already late."

As she walked down the hall, he fell into step beside her. "So..." he began. She raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. "So, that email... I know you didn't send it, but..."

She stopped and turned to face him. "Ask me what you want to ask me."

He looked at the ground, and then back up at her. "Do you still have feelings for Duncan?" he asked, his voice low. "I mean, is there any truth to it?"

She blinked at him in surprise. "No," she said softly, and then shook her head. "No," she said again, more forcefully. "I don't."

"So if he wanted you back, you would say..."

"I would...be surprised. And then I would say thanks but no thanks." As she said it, she knew it was true. Two weeks ago, who knew, but at this moment, she didn't have any feelings for Duncan.

She watched his face, as he watched hers. Finally, he shrugged. "Just curious," he said. "See you around, Mars."

He turned around and walked away, his shoulders hunched.

_That's because I have feelings for you, you jackass. _

She sighed because she couldn't pretend it was a lie.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Logan sat in History beside Duncan. Duncan hadn't said anything about the email from Veronica, but he had seemed a little distracted all day. Logan had thought about mentioning it to him, and clarifying that Veronica didn't send it and wasn't in love with him, but the whole thing just made his stomach clench up, so he decided to stay out of it.

He tried not to focus on the fact that Veronica was sitting in the seat behind him. She had smiled when he walked in, but when he went to talk to her she had seemed distracted as well.

The Neptune High news broadcast started, and suddenly, the tape of the boys' lacrosse game was interrupted by a strange camera shot of Kimmy, an 09er who followed Meg around like a puppy dog. It looked like the camera was inside a locker. Almost immediately, Logan knew what he was looking at, and he glanced over his shoulder. Veronica was smiling.

"Please, it wasn't me," Kimmy on tape said.

He heard Veronica's voice. "Then who was it?"

"It was Pam. Pam posted the test for you. She hates you because Duncan is still hung up on you."

Logan shot a look at Duncan, who raised his eyebrows at the television. Was that true? he wondered. He had thought for a while that Duncan had never really gotten over Veronica, and now that he was hanging around more... He knew that despite what Veronica said, she had been destroyed when Duncan dumped her, and never really understood why. Logan didn't know either, because Duncan never explained. Duncan Kane had everything...why _wouldn__'__t_ Veronica want him back if she had the chance? Maybe Pam had unwittingly helped Neptune High's golden couple get back together.

Logan felt something inside him extinguish.

"I only posted Meg's, I swear," Kimmy on tape was saying.

"Why would you do that?" came Veronica's voice.

"She gets everything I want. Everything. The lead in the musical, cheerleader, the anchor job."

Well, Logan thought, at least Veronica cleared Meg's name - and her own.

After school, Logan walked beside Duncan through the parking lot. He waited as a shiny green VW Bug drove past them, and then did a double-take a Mac behind the wheel. That was certainly an upgrade from the junker she had been locked out of earlier in the week.

He saw Veronica talking to Meg, who was all smiles. He knew that after the tape aired, things had gone back to normal for Meg, because he had seen person after person go up to her and apologize for doubting her. Meg, being Meg, told everyone not to worry about it. Everyone except Cole, that is. It looked like forgiving Saint Meg wasn't planning on getting back together with Cole anytime soon.

Logan was glad to see the girl had a little bit of backbone.

After Meg walked away, Veronica looked around and spotted him and Duncan. She jogged over. Logan smiled, but his smile disappeared when he heard the name she called out.

"Duncan," she shouted. Duncan looked up.

"Hey," Duncan said, as she got near.

"Somebody stole my computer password and used it to send fake emails from me to you. So...I don't have VD, I've never had VD and I don't still love you. Just so that you know," Veronica said breathlessly. She glanced at Logan, who was trying desperately to keep his face blank.

Duncan looked at the ground and scuffed his foot. "Good. 'Cause, I'm not, you know, still hung up on you or anything."

"I never thought you were."

There was an awkward pause, and then Duncan grinned. "Wait. You _don__'__t_ have VD? 'Cause I keep getting this thing on my lip and I'm not sure who I could've gotten it from…"

She laughed and punched his arm. They smiled at each other. Beside them, Logan felt like he didn't exist.

That is, until Veronica turned her sparkling eyes on him. "So, Echolls, you ready for our field trip?"

"Field trip?" asked Duncan.

Veronica raised her eyebrows at Logan significantly. "Yeah," she said. "We've got a project, and I got the call that we've got an appointment to interview someone this afternoon."

Logan snapped to attention. Koontz. That had to be what she was referring to. He realized she had changed her clothes, and was looking particularly sweet and prim. Miss Ellen White, he presumed. He nodded.

"Let's go then," he said. "See you, DK."

They headed for his XTerra, leaving Duncan staring after them curiously.

"So," he said, once they were in the car and on their way to the prison, "when did you get the call?"

"A couple nights ago," she said. "Sorry...I meant to mention it but I kept forgetting, with all the Meg stuff, and the thing with Wallace's mom's tenant."

"How did that work out, anyway? Did your dad put the scare on?"

Veronica laughed. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what went down. I only know that Wallace showed up at my house the other night because the tenant had turned on all the gas burners and the house needed to be aired out. My dad left for the office, and then the next morning he came in looking tired and somehow had Wallace's keys in his pocket. Wallace said the guy was gone when he got home from school yesterday."

Logan smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a Keith Mars special. Remind me never to get on the man's bad side."

"Secretly making out with his only daughter might not be a great idea for you, then."

Logan glanced at her. "Are you saying we should stop?"

"I'm saying...that you should think about whether it's worth it to you."

"It is." His answer came more quickly than he expected.

Veronica's eyes widened. "I mean, I'm not just talking about my dad. I'm talking about...what people at school will think if they find out."

"I don't give a shit about what people think."

"I'm talking about Duncan."

Logan gripped the steering wheel, feeling his chest tighten up. "Oh, how I love our intense car conversations," he muttered.

"You started it," she pointed out. "Is it my fault that now I'm more comfortable having a serious talk with you in a car?"

"What are you really saying, Veronica? That you're afraid of what Duncan will think if he finds out what's going on?"

She sighed. "No. I don't care what he thinks. But it occurred to me that you might. He's your best friend. Don't you think he might not take...us...that well?"

"I'll tell him tonight, if you want me to."

"No," she said quickly. "We agreed to keep this between us."

"Right," he replied. "Between us and Fennel."

"Well...so he suspects, but that's only because he walked in on us."

He pulled into the prison parking lot, parked the car, and turned to face her. He leaned forward and kissed her. She didn't pull away, and his muscles relaxed.

"It's worth it," he whispered. "I promise."

She smiled at him, and shook her head. "This makes no sense."

He smiled back. "It makes the best kind of sense."

She looked out at the prison. "Okay," she said, shifting into investigative mode. "I'm going to go in and meet him. You wait out here - you have to, he only agreed to see me," she said at his frown, "- and I'll be out in a bit. I don't think they'll let me see him for more than fifteen minutes or so."

"You'll call me if there's any trouble?"

"I can't." She pulled her phone out of her purse and handed it to him. "No cell phones allowed inside. Relax. I promise I'll be fine."

She leaned in and kissed him, and then opened the car door and strode towards the prison gates.

Logan waited for her to return, his foot tapping out a rhythm that got more intense as the minutes passed. He tried to distract himself from the thought of her facing Abel Koontz, the person who either murdered his ex-girlfriend and best friend's sister or who was involved in covering up for the real murderer. Either way, Koontz did not make the "nice" list.

When he tried to think of something else, however, his thoughts turned to what she had said about Duncan. He supposed he had no choice but to believe her when she said she wasn't still in love with Duncan, but that didn't tell him what he really wanted to know: how did she feel about _him_?

Because Logan knew one thing. He knew that he had fallen for Veronica Mars. A while ago, truth be told, even though he had tried to ignore it. He didn't want to sneak around with her, to be afraid people would find out. He wanted to make an announcement on the Neptune High news broadcast. He wanted to hold her hand in the hallway. He wanted to kiss her at lunch. He even wanted Keith Mars to grill him about his intentions.

If Duncan was good enough to publicly date Veronica, if _Troy_ was good enough, why wasn't Logan? What was it about him that embarrassed her?

He didn't know the answer to that, and was afraid to think about the possibilities. So he'd bide his time. Patience wasn't his strong suit, but he knew if he pushed too hard or too fast, she'd run like a rabbit, and that would be unacceptable.

Finally, he saw Veronica emerge from the prison and stride across the parking lot towards the XTerra. Her head was down, her hair covering her face, but something about the way she was walking made him sit up straight. He was out of the car in a second and met her in the middle of the lot.

"What happened?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders.

When she looked up at him, her eyes were wild, and shining with unshed tears. She glanced around, and shook her head. "Not here," she said, and pushed past him.

He followed her to the car, and once inside, took her hand. "What. Happened?"

She took a deep breath, and it ended in a sob. To his surprise, instead of huddling against the door, she crawled across the center console and into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, waiting for her sobs to subside.

After a few minutes, she took a shaky breath. "I'm okay," she said, and moved to extricate herself from his grip. He held on tighter.

"What did he do?" asked Logan softly. He was desperately trying to keep the anger and frustration at not having been there with her from showing.

"He just...he knew who I was," she said into his shoulder. "He played along for a while, but then his voice got nasty, and he asked if I wanted to know how he bashed 'my best friend's head in.'"

Logan swallowed hard.

"He said he knew I was Veronica Mars. He said he knew my mother - he knew her from when she'd visit Kane Software on lunch breaks."

Logan immediately understood. Koontz had given Veronica something to confirm that Lianne was indeed having an affair with Jake. He rubbed her back.

"Hey," he said. "So, okay, now we know your mom and Jake were involved at some point. And so it probably was Celeste who threatened your mother. We already thought that, remember?"

"There's more." This time she pushed away and climbed back into her seat. Once there, she smoothed her skirt and stared out the window. He waited. She looked down at her lap, and mumbled something. It sounded like she had said something about her father.

"What was that?" he asked.

She drew another breath. "He said - he said that I didn't inherit my dedication from my mother, that that means I'm my father's daughter. When I told him that my dad tried to save his life, he said he meant my real father, and then he asked me if I was the daughter of a...schlubby sheriff or...the king and queen of the prom."

She buried her head in her hands and started to cry again. Logan reached over and ran his hand through her hair. What in the world was Koontz talking about?

Then it hit him. Koontz was implying that Keith Mars wasn't Veronica's father. That Veronica's real father was the man Lianne was having an affair with, the one she had dated seriously in high school: Jake Kane.

No wonder Veronica was a mess.

She pulled herself together and looked at him. "Do you think it could be true?" she asked. "Do you think Jake Kane could be my real father?"

Logan shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "Well, think about it this way. If he _is_ your real dad, you're super rich." He smiled to let her know he was kidding, just trying to make her feel better.

She smiled back. "I _knew_ I fit in with you guys for some reason. I'm an heiress. Just as rich as Lilly and Dunc-"

Her eyes widened. He got there in seconds.

"Oh God, Logan," she whispered. "Does that mean that Duncan could be my...brother?"

Logan's stomach turned to ice, as Veronica opened the passenger door and started to vomit. He leaned over and held her hair back. When she was done, he reached into the glove compartment and handed her a napkin. She took it and pressed it to her mouth.

"I have to know," she said after a minute. "I have to."

"How are you going to find out for sure?" he asked.

"Paternity test," she said. "There's a company that will do it by mail. I just have to order the kit, get a sample of my blood and my dad's blood and they'll see if it's a match."

He squinted at her. "Why in the world do you know that?" he asked.

She licked her lips and then turned to him. "Logan," she said, her voice shaky. "You remember that other secret I had, the one I asked for a couple of weeks to check out? Well, there's something you need to know."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N3: So there it is, folks. This was a tough chapter. I hope I've hit the right tone! And I promise to try not to let it go so long before the next update, though...I haven't quite decided where this is going next.


	9. Chapter 9: I Need Another Drink

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Logan finds out how tough Veronica's life has been for the past year and gets shit-faced to drown out the guilt. A very drunk Logan spills his guts about why he was mad at Veronica, and they work together to get their hands on Lilly's unpaid ticket, revealing the time-of-death discrepancy. An enraged Troy attacks Veronica, and Logan arrives in time to do what he had wanted to do since he met the guy: beat the crap out of Troy. Veronica asks Logan to help with the murder investigation, and he agrees. Veronica finds out that Aaron beats Logan. Logan and Weevil get to know each other while in detention. Veronica learns that Logan has been keeping a lot of information from her, and during a long "immune" conversation, he reveals the truth about her mother, and his lack of an alibi for the day Lilly was murdered. She in turn tells him that she has a secret she can't tell him yet, and he gives her two weeks. Veronica and Logan kiss, and then she avoids him for a few days before they kiss again and get caught by Wallace. They go to visit Abel Koontz on death row, and Veronica learns that Jake Kane might be her real father.

Chapter Nine: I Need Another Drink

_Well, Veronica, you intended not to say anything to Logan until you knew more. Are you telling him now just so that he can feel the misery you're feeling? To question whether your family is really your family?_

Veronica brushed away the thought and took a shaky breath. She was aware of Logan's intense gaze. As soon as she had said, "There's something you need to know," his eyes had gone two shades darker. It hurt a little deep down to know that he could be so anxious about something she was going to say, as if he didn't trust her.

Well, who could blame him?

She met his eyes. "I wasn't able to confirm or deny this," she said. "I stumbled across a piece of information, but when I tried to look into it, I hit a dead end. It might not be true, but there's really only one way to find out, and I...I'm trying not to go behind your back with stuff like this."

"Veronica, find out what? Just say it."

She licked her lips. "Well, there's a chance...just a chance, because, like I said -"

"Veronica." Logan's voice was exasperated. "I get it. A chance that what?"

Despite herself, she let out a nervous giggle. "I can't believe this," she said. "It's ridiculous, that I'm telling you this after what I just found out."

He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"There's a chance that Aaron isn't your real father."

She let the words hang in the air between them. Logan blinked at her, surprise evident on this features. He narrowed his eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. "Are you confused? _You're_ the one who just found out your dad might not be your dad."

She shook her head. "That's why this sounds ridiculous. A few weeks ago, I was demonstrating a PI search engine to Wallace, and it showed that you were-"

"You ran a background check on me?"

"Just as a joke," she said. "Not because I was checking up on you. I already know all your sordid secrets."

"Apparently not," he said. "Go on."

"Well, the program showed you were born in Neptune, which I never knew, and then it listed your mom but said that the identity of your father was sealed. That's what I was talking about on the beach, when I said I had a secret that I had to check into. I didn't want to...burden you with it until I had more information."

"Do you have more information?" Logan asked. He was looking at her oddly.

"Not really," she said. "I got a copy of your birth certificate, and Aaron is on it. But apparently that doesn't mean he's your biological dad. It could just mean he was presumed to be, since your parents were married, or that he legally adopted you, and there would be no way of knowing that from the birth certificate. The only way to know for sure is to take a DNA test."

Logan stared out the window. "And that's why you knew about this place you can get them done."

"Yeah," she said guiltily. "I thought about getting one done, somehow, but it's not my place to decide to do that."

Logan snorted. "I like where you draw your ethical lines. It's never predictable."

"Hey." She reached out, touched his sleeve. "I'm sorry. I just...thought you should know."

He turned to her and smiled, and she nearly lost her breath at the softness in his gaze.

"Thanks," he said. "No, really. I'm not sure how I feel about this, if I need to dig into it. If we do, and I find out Aaron is my father, the little glimmer of hope you just ignited - hope that I'm not related by blood to the bastard who beats the shit out of me - will go away. I kind of like the hope."

"Well, I have to know," she said. "About my dad, I mean. I just have to. I'm going to order a test. I could order two, just in case."

"If you want." He shrugged. "I'll think about it."

They drove back to town in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. When they reached the school, so Veronica could get her car, Logan leaned in to kiss her, but she backed up.

"What?" he asked, confused. "Oh - is it because people could see us? There's no one here."

It was true, the parking lot was deserted. But Veronica shook her head.

"No. Um, this is probably silly, but...I think maybe, until we know for sure who my dad is, and yours, we should...just..."

"Wait a second," said Logan, stopping her from opening the door. "Are you afraid we're related? You realize the chances of that are-"

"Are not the bad," she said, shuddering. "I mean, if Jake is my dad, would it be so weird to think he might be yours too? You were born in Neptune. Your mom and Jake may have known each other and..."

Logan shook his head. "That's ridiculous."

"Whether it is or isn't, we can't keep doing this...thing...until we know."

"And if I decide I don't want a paternity test?"

Veronica looked away. She heard Logan let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine," he said. "Go on, escape, run, I know that's what you want to do."

She opened the door and bolted from the car, and jumped when Logan sped away immediately. Her chest hurt, because the idea of losing Logan now was almost - almost - worse than learning that she may have been dating her brother for a year. Was she being ridiculous, insisting they stay apart? Maybe. But the other option was too scary for her to think about.

She got into her car and started the engine, then sat with her eyes closed. What she wanted to do was chase after Logan, make sure he wasn't too angry with her. But that wouldn't get her anywhere.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it. A text from Logan.

_From: Logan_

_I'm sorry. If you need me, in whatever way, I'm here._

_Even if you are being an idiot._

She smiled, feeling the teensiest bit better. But okay, now what she really wanted to do was prove they weren't related. And so maybe she would have to look into this thing some more on her own, if he was going to be stubborn about it.

_Veronica, Veronica. Where are those ethical lines again?_

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan slammed into his house. He had sent the text to Veronica, apologizing, because he knew she was already in bad shape and didn't want to make things worse. But the truth was, he was pissed.

This theory of hers that _maybe_ they were related and therefore shouldn't continue...whatever it was they were doing...was preposterous. Did she plan to run a DNA test on every guy she dated to make sure that they weren't related?

He threw his keys on the counter with so much force they nearly bounced. He didn't like the thought of her dating anyone else at all.

He had been honest when he told her he wasn't sure if he wanted to get hard proof about his paternity one way or the other. He kind of liked the possibility that Aaron wasn't his real father, and if he did the test, it could confirm Aaron was his father and extinguish that comforting possibility for good. Why couldn't Veronica understand that?

He smiled and shook his head. She couldn't understand that because she always had to know the truth, good or bad. She was incapable of walking away from a mystery, even if finding out the truth would hurt. She could have ignored the background check on Troy that Keith had given her, but she just _had_ to open the envelope, even if it meant destroying her illusions about him.

His phone rang, and he checked the display. Duncan. Did he want to talk to Duncan, after what he had just learned? With a sigh, he answered.

"Hey, DK, what's up?"

"You back from your field trip?" asked Duncan.

"Yeah."

"Enbom called. He's trying to get Carrie to come over, and she's hanging out with Madison and Shelley and Susan, so he wants to round up us and Dick to make a thing of it."

Logan frowned. He really had no interest in hanging out with a bunch of people tonight. He had interest in hanging out with one person, and she was pushing him away.

"I don't know," he said.

"Come on," urged Duncan. "What else are you gonna do?"

"Fine," said Logan, sinking onto a kitchen stool. "When should I show up?"

A couple of hours later, Logan found himself seated on a sofa in Enbom's basement media room, drinking a beer and trying to ignore Madison Sinclair, who was sitting next to him and prattling on about something.

"Madison," he said, finally, interrupting her.

She blinked at him. "What?"

"Dick's over there."

Madison looked over to where Dick and Duncan were having an epic Mortal Kombat battle on the XBox.

"He looks busy," she said. She sidled closer on the sofa. "Besides, I'd rather be here talking to you."

Logan rolled his eyes and took another drink. Well, while she was here, he might as well use the time constructively.

"You know, I've been meaning to chat with you," he said, turning to her with a million-dollar smile. She batted her eyelashes at him and smiled back.

"Oh yeah?" Her voice was breathy. It was all he could do not to roll his eyes again.

"Yeah," he said, leaning closer. "See, the thing is, there's this girl. A good friend of mine. Her happiness means a lot to me."

Madison leaned closer. "Who might this girl be?"

"She's amazing. And beautiful. Gorgeous blonde hair, looks great in a cheerleading uniform..."

"Hmm. _I_ have gorgeous blonde hair. And _I_ look great in a cheerleading uniform..."

Logan tilted his head to the side, pretended to think. "Well, the girl I'm thinking of...a lot of people haven't been very nice to her for the past year. And, I'm pretty sure I told everyone to lay off. There's just one person who isn't getting the message."

Madison leaned back in surprise. "Um...what?"

"I seem to remember that you and I had a little chat a couple of weeks ago about slashing Veronica's tires, and that if I found out that you were behind any more...pranks against Veronica, I'd be royally ticked off."

Logan's voice hardened, and his smile disappeared. At his last words, which he practically spat at her, she jumped, then looked around wildly. She plastered on a smile, and leaned back in, shaking her head.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Logan," she whispered, trailing her finger along his arm.

"Cut the crap, Madison." He twitched his arm, flinging her hand off. "I know it was you who destroyed her clothes last week. This stops. Now. I mean it."

He shoved himself off the sofa and stalked out of the room, up the stairs, and out to the backyard, where he sank into a lounge chair. A few minutes later, he heard someone plop into the chair next to his, and glanced over. Duncan.

"So, I don't know what you did, but right after you walked out Madison stomped over, grabbed Dick's arm, and dragged him away." Duncan chuckled. "Man, the look on Dick's face...I think he couldn't decide whether to be pleased or scared."

"I had to have another talk with Madison about laying off Veronica," Logan explained. "She didn't seem to get the message the first several times."

"Oh," said Duncan. "Where is she, by the way?"

"Right now? No idea." He glanced at his best friend curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Duncan shook his head. "No reason. You just...seem to hang out with her a lot. That's all."

Logan made a non-committal noise and took another drink.

"So...are you guys, like, dating?"

Logan snapped his gaze to Duncan. "No," he said. "No, we're just...friends." He watched Duncan carefully. "Hey, do you still...I mean, are you still into her?"

Duncan choked on his beer a little. "No," he said. "No, and even if I were...we just don't work together, that's all."

Logan stared out over the glowing blue water of the pool. He'd be willing to bet real money that Duncan broke up with Veronica because he found out they were related, and that if it weren't for that, he would absolutely still want to go out with her. Unfortunately, that meant that if Veronica did her paternity test and found out she and Duncan weren't related, Duncan would be ready to step right back into their relationship.

Would Veronica?

He tried not to think about the small seed of hope that took root in his gut that Jake Kane _did_ turn out to be her real father.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

At school on Monday morning, Veronica steeled herself for confrontation and made her way to Logan's locker. He was rooting around inside, and she was able to approach without him noticing. When he closed the locker door and she was there, he jumped.

"Hey," she said. "Got a minute?"

"For you?" He looked at his watch-less wrist. "Just."

She rolled her eyes, and he smiled and leaned up against the locker bay, eyebrows raised in question.

"I didn't hear from you all weekend," she said.

_What was that, Veronica? That wasn't what you wanted to talk to him about._

"I was giving you space," he said. "Was that wrong?"

"No," she said. "No, it's fine. I just...I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not."

"You're lying."

"Yeah."

She sighed. "Well," she said, "I ordered the test kits. Two of them. You don't have to use yours if you don't want to, but I got you one anyway. They should come in today, and if we send them out right away, we can rush the results and have an answer by next week."

"And if I decide not to use mine?"

She looked at the ground. "I'd understand." she said.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Veronica, this is ridiculous. You know this is ridiculous, right?"

She looked up at him, at the intensity of his gaze, and willed herself not to reach for him. "I know," she said. "Just...let me be ridiculous. For now. Please?"

She jumped when he slammed his hand against the lockers.

"Fine," he said. "Let me know when the kits come in."

He turned and walked away, and she watched him go with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

But she had other things to occupy her, so after a moment, she turned and went in search of Casey Gant.

Casey's parents had come into Mars Investigations on Saturday to hire her father. It seemed that Casey had joined a cult, and was living on some compound, and had sold his Porsche and given all the money to the cult. His parents were worried. The trouble was, since Casey was eighteen, there wasn't much they could do, except try to get the cult shut down. That's where Mars Investigations came in...the Gants wanted them to find something illegal that would be cause for the Sheriff's department to disband the cult, hoping that Casey would then come home.

The idea of Casey Gant joining a cult amused Veronica. Casey was - or had been, at least - a strong contender for jackass of the century, the worst kind of 09er. Even before her excommunication, Casey was nasty to her. To most people, in fact. He was arrogant, and rude, and his sense of entitlement made her skin crawl.

Now, she spotted him playing _hacky-sack_, of all things. He was dressed in wrinkled, casual clothes, and smiling with a bunch of kids he would never have looked at twice before.

"New crush?"

Veronica glanced to her left, where Wallace had appeared.

"Hardly," she said. "That's Casey Gant. He sold his Porsche, joined a cult, and took up hacky-sack."

Wallace shrugged. "He looks normal enough."

"Not if you knew him before." Veronica watched Casey for another minute, then smiled. "I know where I can get the dirt. His ex-girlfriend."

"Hey, everything cool with you?"

Veronica looked up in surprise. Wallace was looking at her with concern.

"Yeah. Perfect. Why?"

"I saw Echolls this morning, and he looked like he wanted to hurt someone. I figured it involved you. Trouble in paradise?"

She grimaced. Of course Logan was upset. But he'd get over it. Or she'd get to the bottom of it. One way or another, this would work out.

"There's no paradise," she said. "I told you already, we're just friends. I can't pretend to know every bug he has up his butt. Maybe he lost a bet with Dick or something."

The look Wallace gave her said he didn't believe her, but thankfully he let it drop.

Several hours later, she was sitting in her bedroom, a spiral notebook in front of her, tapping a purple pen against her lips.

She had learned from Casey's ex-girlfriend that Casey had indeed changed. Started spouting lines about capitalism, and she had mentioned something about suspecting Casey had a thing going on with Miss Mills, who ran the lit magazine. Veronica's next step was clear: she had to get on that magazine. So she was going to compose some angsty poetry.

"Veronica?" She heard her dad call out from the living room.

"In here, Dad," she said, shoving the notebook away and pulling out one of the finger-sticks and vials from the DNA test kit that had arrived that day.

Keith wandered into her room. "What are you doing?" he asked, eyeing the finger-stick.

"I'm trying to draw a blood sample. Our health teacher said she'll give extra credit for anyone taking a self-administered HIV test. I ordered this thing online but…I am seriously punking on this finger-stick."

Keith smirked. "This is so endearing. My badass, action figure daughter is afraid to draw a teensy little drop of blood."

"You know," Veronica retorted, "if you really were a good father, you'd let me draw some of your blood for the test. Nobody'll know the difference. Besides, you've been sexually active, I haven't."

She held out the finger-stick, and Keith rolled his eyes. "Give me that," he said.

She watched as he drew the blood sample, deposited it in the vial, and handed it back to her.

"Thanks, oh father of mine," she said with a grin.

"Yeah, you softened me up with the 'I haven't been sexually active' business. I'm going to start dinner."

He ruffled her hair and then left. Veronica quickly placed the vial alongside the one with her blood in an envelope and sealed it. Now, she had their DNA, and she just had to pop this in the mail the next day. She'd soon know for sure if Keith Mars was her real father.

The second DNA kit, however, was in her bag. She'd give that to Logan the next day, too. She wasn't sure how he would get Aaron's blood, but...if he asked her to, she'd help him figure something out.

The next morning, Veronica dropped off her angsty poetry in Miss Mills' mailbox, then hid in the girls' room until the bell rang signaling the start of first period. Once she was sure the halls were clear, she hurried to Logan's locker and spun the combination. She knew she was being a coward, but she just didn't feel like confronting him about this again. She opened the locker and dropped the DNA kit inside. He'd know what to do with it, if he wanted to use it.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan opened his locker after first period and saw the DNA kit immediately. His stomach clenched. Damn her, he thought, shoving his books inside and slamming the door. He knew what he wanted to do...ignore the whole thing. Pretend Aaron wasn't his father, but pretend to believe he was. But Veronica couldn't leave well enough alone. If only there was a way to reassure her without...

And just like that, Logan got an idea. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, he pulled out the kit, tucked it under his arm, and headed for the boys' room.

A few minutes later, he emerged, smiling. He dropped the now sealed return envelope in his locker...he'd bring it to the post office later.

Later that afternoon, just as school was letting out, he spotted Veronica, talking to that lit mag advisor. He couldn't remember her name. What was Veronica talking to her about? He slowed down when he was in hearing distance.

"So, are you going to publish it?" Veronica was asking.

Publish what, Logan wondered. What was she up to now?

"Well, you have a very unique outlook, Veronica," the teacher said. "You know, if you ever feel like sharing, there's a place where you're always welcome to do so. We're kind of like family."

"Yeah, I have some friends who work on your literary magazine and they say it's really cool."

She does? Logan wondered. Who?

"Actually, I'm talking about the folks out at the Moon Calf Collective. That's where I live. Something tells me you'd really enjoy visiting. If you'd like, I could even take you out there today. How's that sound?

"That sounds…great. I'm ready to go whenever you are." Veronica beamed at the teacher.

The Moon Calf Collective? Logan shook his head and strolled away. If Veronica wanted to go hang out at a hippie commune, that was fine. Maybe they'd be able to help her get in touch with her feelings.

As he exited the building, Madison Sinclair bounced up to him.

"Logan! I'm so glad I found you," she said, linking her arm in his and smiling up at him.

"Oh, this should be good," muttered Logan. He kept walking, and she trotted alongside him in her heels.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What do you want, Madison?"

She giggled and leaned closer.

"So, Christmas is coming up -"

"Yeah, it's funny how that happens every December, isn't it?"

She blinked at him, and then giggled again. "Right. Well, my parents have this huge condo in Aspen, and we usually go every year right after Christmas, and they said I could invite some friends this year."

"How nice of them." Logan tried to extricate his arm from hers, but she just held on tighter.

"So I was thinking you should come."

"Would you say we were friends?"

"Of course we are! And, you know, I was thinking about what you said the other night, about this blonde cheerleader who you wanted to make happy-"

"I think what I said is that she's blonde, and looks great in a cheerleading uniform."

"Well, I cracked your code. So, if, you know, you wanted to get closer to this blonde cheerleader, she's interested."

Logan stopped walking. They had reached his car, and he took Madison's hand and pulled it off of him, then stepped back.

"I think you misunderstood my 'code,'" he said with a smirk. "Unless, of course, you meant Veronica."

Madison tilted her head to the side and smiled. "No, silly. I was talking about me."

"See, that's where you've lost me."

Madison took a step towards him, and he raised his hands and stepped back.

"I have places to be," he said. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car. "You should go find Dick."

"Well...what about Aspen?" She tossed her hair. "It'll be a _really_ great time."

"I'm sure it will," he said. He got into his car, shut the door, and had the key in the ignition and his foot on the gas before she could respond.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

_If I let people use their incredible talents to help me, it's not _using_ using them, right? After all, they're my friends, they should want to help me. And I would help them, if the need arose._

"Let me get this straight," Mac said, squinting at Veronica. "You want me to hack into the California vital statistics database?"

"Right," said Veronica. She was sitting in the computer lab beside Mac. "I want to know if there's any way to get an original birth certificate, or the information that would have been on it, before a second one was issued. Say, because someone was adopted."

"So you're trying to find out who someone's real parents are, and they've been adopted so there's a new certificate with their adoptive parents' names on it."

"Exactly!" Veronica grinned at Mac. "So, can you do it?"

Mac shrugged. "I don't know. I've never tried to hack into a government database before." She rubbed her hands together with a smile and turned to her computer. "Whose birth certificate am I looking for?"

"I...can't tell you that."

Mac raised her eyebrows. "That might make finding it a little difficult."

"I just want to know if you can do it. Then...I promise I'll explain." Veronica fidgeted in her seat, and turned a pleading gaze on the other girl. "Pretty please with lots and lots of RAM on top?"

Mac burst out laughing. "Was that an attempt at computer geek humor? Because, I have to say, it was weak."

Veronica shrugged. "I guess I can't pretend to be what I ain't."

"Well, let me give it a whirl. I'll let you know how it goes."

"Thanks, Mac," she said, squeezing Mac's shoulder. "I'll totally owe you one."

"And I'll totally collect. It'll be a beautiful symbiotic relationship. Hey, did you and Logan break up?"

Veronica froze, then gave Mac a look that said she was crazy. "No, because we were never dating."

"Oh, okay. I guess I just got that vibe from you guys. Never mind, then."

Veronica stood up to leave, and then turned back. "What were you going to say?" she asked.

"Um...that I noticed he and Madison Sinclair seemed awfully cozy in the parking lot yesterday afternoon. But if you guys weren't dating, then it doesn't really matter." Mac waved her hand to brush off the observation, and then turned back to the computer with a gleam in her eye. "I'll see you later. I'll let you know how this goes."

"Yeah. Thanks," said Veronica, and she turned and walked out of the room.

_Logan and Madison? He wouldn't do that to Dick. And why do I really care?_

She wandered down the hall, trying to ignore the twisting feeling in her stomach. She couldn't really blame him for moving on, she guessed, since she was the one who had put the brakes on their...explorations. And it's not like she had any claim to Logan anyway. It was just...Madison Sinclair?

_God, could he aim any lower on the food chain?_

"There you are."

Veronica stopped short just before running into Casey Gant. He was smiling down at her, this happy, contented, _kind_ smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey, you," she said.

The day before, she had taken Miss Mills' offer and gone out to the Moon Calf Collective, despite her father's warnings that she was not, under any circumstances, to go out to the cult compound. The opportunity just arose so easily, and who was she to thwart good old fate?

Her experience at the Collective was interesting. Miss Mills - or Holly, as she insisted on being called - had introduced her to a lot of really nice people. _Really_ nice. Veronica had tried to do some digging - had grilled a young cultist named Rain, had taken a tour with the cult leader, Josh - but everything seemed on the up and up. They weren't asking for monetary donations, the mysterious barn turned out to be where they were nursing a horse back to health, and their "ultimate cash crop" was poinsettias. Not exactly SWAT-worthy activities.

Plus, everyone seemed so happy, and they were totally welcoming.

She had spent a little time with Casey, as well, and was amazed at how much he had changed. He was considerate, and they had had some real conversation. He seemed to have thrown off the yoke of being a privileged 09er and had actually become a decent human being.

Which was why, now, she was willing to smile back at him.

"I'm glad you came out to the Collective last night," he said. "I swear I'm not trying to convert you, but everyone really liked you."

"That's a different set of circumstances from my normal life," she observed dryly.

"Yeah, well, Moon Calf is different. I knew it as soon as I visited the first time, too. People really care about each other there. You don't have to deal with all this crap about social classes and who has more money or power. It's just cool to be...you."

He grinned, and she couldn't help but grin back. Casey was definitely cute, and now that his personality matched his looks, he was hard to resist. As a friend, of course.

He slung his arm around her shoulder, and they walked down the hall together.

"You want to come back out today? Everyone would be really glad to see you."

Yeah, she really did want to go back out to the Collective. But she had other things to deal with, too.

"I can't today," she said. "I want to, really I do. Maybe tomorrow?"

"I'll hold you to that," he warned, giving her a squeeze. "I mean it, Veronica. It's been really great to get to know you better."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan walked down the hall beside Dick, who was trying to convince him to come out to Madison's Aspen condo over Christmas break. He wondered if Dick would be so enthusiastic if he had been a fly on the wall during Logan's conversation with Madison the day before.

"Her parents aren't staying the whole week, and once they go, Bacchanalia!"

Logan shot Dick a look. "Did you just use the word 'Bacchanalia?'"

As Dick ignored his question and started talking about the booze and the babes, Logan spotted Veronica. It was like he couldn't help but see her whenever she came into his general area, like there was some kind of magnetism that called out to him.

When he saw her this time, however, he stopped walking and clenched his fists.

She was walking down the hall beside Casey Gant, who had is arm around her. His arm. Around her. Red clouded Logan's vision. He watched them smile and laugh, and then she stepped aside and said something that made Casey shuffle his foot on the ground and then grin at her.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had launched himself across the hallway and taken a swing at Casey.

It connected with a thud, and Casey staggered backwards. Logan jumped forward and took another swing, but Casey recovered in time to block it and make a grab at Logan. They grappled with each other and fell to the ground. He got another couple swings in, and got hit in the jaw solidly once, before he was being pulled away.

When his vision cleared, he was standing on one side of the hall, held by Dick, and Casey was on the other side, held by Duncan.

His eyes darted around the hallway and landed on Veronica, whose mouth was open. Her gaze landed on him, and she glanced at Casey and then ran to Logan. He nearly collapsed with relief when she put her hands on his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Her thumb stroked his jaw, and he swallowed.

"Yeah," he said, and yanked his arms away from Dick. He reached for her, but she took a step back.

"Good," she said. Then she punched him in the stomach.

He doubled over - she had a pretty strong punch for such a tiny girl - and then looked up at her.

"Idiot," she muttered.

She crossed the hall to see to Casey. Logan clenched his teeth, willing himself not to start the fight again. He heard her ask Casey if he was okay, and put her hand on his shoulder, and nearly lost it before Clemmons appeared.

"What on God's green earth is going on here?" the Vice Principal asked, eyeing the boys.

Sure enough, within moments he and Casey were being shepherded to Clemmons' office. When he heard Clemmons talk about calling their parents, he rolled his eyes. Fabulous.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica watched the Vice Principal lead Logan and Casey down the hall to his office and sighed. What had gotten into Logan? And the last thing Casey needed was to have his parents show up.

She tried not to think too hard about what would happen when _Logan's_ parents got a call.

With a shake of her head, she hurried to her car. One way or another, she had a mission this afternoon.

Last week, before things were...difficult between them...Logan had mentioned that his mother was spending a couple of days at a spa this week, and that his father was out of town. If she was going to do any digging into Logan's parentage at his house, now was the time to do it. Especially considering he'd be occupied for a little while.

_It's like he knew I needed his house empty._

She arrived at the Echolls' estate and punched in the code she remembered from the night they had found out about Lilly's ticket. It worked. She told the maid who answered the door she was there to see Logan, and brushed aside the maid's comments that Logan wasn't home by saying he was expecting her and she'd wait in his room. She climbed the stairs, but once the maid was gone from the foyer, she dashed back down and to Aaron's office.

The door was closed. She knocked softly, and then opened the door. The room was empty. She walked inside, and after a moment's thought, left the door open a crack so she could hear anyone who might be approaching.

It was a big room, covered in Aaron Echolls memorabilia. Posters from his many movies were all over the walls, and there were large lighted shelves encasing his Oscars and items from his movies. An enormous desk sat under the window, and beside it was a cherrywood filing cabinet.

Veronica headed straight for the filing cabinet.

It wasn't locked, thankfully, and the drawers swished out silently. She flipped through them, bypassing tax returns and film contracts, until she reached a file that wasn't labeled. She pulled out a sheaf of papers, her breath catching in anticipation when she saw "Certificate of Adoption" at the top.

She was paging through the papers when she heard a noise outside the door.

"I'll be waiting, Logan." The voice was Aaron's. And he sounded angry. Deadly angry.

Veronica shoved the papers back into the filing cabinet, closed the drawer, and had just straightened up when the door opened.

"What are you doing in here?"

Veronica whirled around.

"Mr. Echolls. Hi," she stammered, pasting a giant smile on her face. "I was just looking at your posters. This one..._Beyond the Breaking Point_, is really, just...I mean, you look so great."

He smiled at her.

"Why, thank you, Veronica," he said. "I didn't know you were such a big fan."

He crossed the room until he was inches from her. She smiled up at him, resisting the urge to cringe away.

"Well, I was embarrassed about it. But...you know, I'm a _really_ big fan."

He tilted his head, all charm.

"No need to be embarrassed. I'm so pleased that you like my movies."

"Here you go, _Dad_," said Logan, entering the room. He was holding out a dark brown belt. When he saw Veronica, his eyes widened, and he froze in his tracks.

"Logan," said Aaron. "You didn't tell me Veronica was coming over."

Veronica caught Logan's eye. _Please just go along_, her gaze said.

"Yeah, he said if he wasn't here when I got here I should feel free to indulge." She forced a giggle. "I think maybe he wanted me to get my star-struck silliness out before he arrived."

Logan dropped the hand holding the belt behind his back.

"Yeah," he said. "With all the...stuff...this afternoon, I forgot I had invited Veronica over."

Aaron looked back and forth between them.

"Well," he said, "I'll let you two get to your time together. Veronica, if you ever have any questions about any of this, I'm happy to give you the inside story."

"Thanks, Mr. Echolls," she said. She ducked her head, and then smiled up at him.

"Anytime, Veronica." He nodded to her, and then walked out of the room.

Logan watched him leave, and then turned his gaze on Veronica. She shuddered, and then darted past him and up the stairs to his room.

A moment later, he closed the door to his bedroom and threw the belt in the corner.

"Okay," he said. "Can I ask what the _hell_ you were doing?"

She sighed, and sat on the bed.

"Sorry," she said. "Really. I just...Logan, I was looking at adoption papers."

He snorted. "And?"

"Well, they were for Trina. It looks like your dad adopted Trina."

"I could have told you that. If you had asked," he said, crossing to the bed and sitting down beside her. "Trina is adopted."

"I know that now," she muttered. "But I didn't finish..."

"Snooping?" he asked.

"Yes."

He buried his head in his hands and mumbled something.

"What?" she asked.

He looked up at her, his head still bent towards his knees. "I can't believe you saw that."

She didn't have to ask him what he meant. She knew that he was referring to the fact that she saw the beginning of what was sure to be a beating. She leaned against him.

"I'm glad I was here."

"I'm not." He shook his head. "I don't want you to think about it."

"I thought you said it was only every few months."

"Yeah, well...he's between movies. He starts another one next week, but it films here, so he'll be...around for a while."

Her heart broke for him. She put her arm around his shoulders.

"Then you should try not to, you know, get into fights."

He made a noise and pushed off the bed and was pacing the room before she could react.

"About that," he said. "You and _Casey_?"

She shook her head. "What do you care?"

He stopped pacing and faced her. "I _care_, Veronica. How can you not know that I care?" He sank to the floor where he stood. "Just because you've decided _we're_ a lost cause, that doesn't mean I want to see you with anyone else in the meantime."

She burst out laughing, then slid off of the bed to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of him.

"I'm not with Casey," she said. "It's for a case."

"So I'm supposed to just roll over and let you seduce other guys when it's 'for a case?' I don't think so."

"No," she said. "Casey joined a cult. I'm just trying to get close to him to find out what I can about it. I'm not interested in Casey."

"Good," said Logan, "because Casey is a royal jackass. And I'm speaking from personal knowledge, here."

"Well..." she leaned back on her hands. "I'm not sure he's a jackass anymore. People change, you know."

"Not _that_ much."

She giggled, waited until he raised his eyes to hers. "Oh, really?" she asked.

He launched himself forward, and before she knew what was happening, his lips were planted against hers and she was on her back. She opened her mouth and gasped as his tongue slid inside and his body fit itself to her curves.

"Log-" she managed, before his mouth covered hers again. She moved her hands to his shoulders, intending to push him away, and instead slid her arms around his back and pulled him closer.

Eventually, he pulled back, searched her face. She was trying to catch her breath, and without thinking, she raised her hand to trace along his temple, the side of his jaw.

"You can't possibly think it would feel like that if we were half-siblings," he muttered, lowering his head to the spot where her neck and shoulder met. She shivered at the feeling of his tongue and lips in that sensitive area.

"Not...not really," she managed, before scooting backwards and out of his grasp. "I just...if Duncan is my brother, then...it's possible."

She saw a multitude of things pass across his face at that statement.

"Well," he said, sitting up and running both hands through his hair, "maybe he's not your brother, and all those raging hormones you felt were totally natural."

He pushed himself to his feet and paced over to the balcony doors.

"I mean, it didn't...feel like _that_ with Duncan..." she said.

"You know something? I don't want to know," he said.

"Logan-"

"Just...stop snooping around my parentage. If I want to know, I'll find out."

She got to her feet. "Okay," she said. "But...there's nothing going on between me and Casey. So don't beat him up again."

"Sure," he said. He turned back to the window pane, and stared out at the yard. "I don't know what I was thinking, anyway. It's not like you're my girlfriend."

"Right," she said softly. "It's not like that." She turned to go, and then looked back. "And since I'm not your girlfriend, it shouldn't piss me off to hear about you being 'cozy' with Madison Sinclair in the parking lot."

He whirled around. "What?"

"I have my sources," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

He let out a laugh. "Madison was trying to convince me to visit her parents' Aspen condo over Christmas break," he said. "Believe me, it was an unwanted invitation."

They eyed each other for a moment. Finally, Veronica sighed. "Should I stay, so that your dad-"

"No," he said. "I can handle my father."

She waited for him to say something - anything - else, and when he didn't, she opened the door and left the room. She made it down the stairs and out the front door without incident. Once in her car, she sat silently, looking up at the house, until she felt calm enough to drive away.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan had avoided Veronica for a day and a half. He had seen her in the halls and deliberately looked the other way, even when he saw her hugging Casey. He had pulled out his phone to call her a half dozen times and put it away. When Duncan brought her up - more than Logan would have liked - Logan changed the subject.

The afternoon he had stumbled upon her in his father's office, Aaron had left him alone, even after she left. He guessed he should have expected that, since Aaron was more careful when he and Lilly were on than when they were off. He guessed his father - if that's what Aaron was - was trying to be a little careful about Logan's physical appearance when he had someone who might be taking his shirt off every now and then.

Not that that's what Veronica was, but it might have looked like that to Aaron.

He was waiting for the DNA test results to come in. Then, he could set her mind at ease and - hopefully - she'd drop this avoidance and let him kiss her again.

Unless, of course, she wasn't related to Duncan, and then maybe all bets were off. Maybe.

As he walked through the courtyard at lunch, he saw Veronica sitting at her table with Wallace and that girl with the blue hair...Mac? Veronica looked up as he approached, and smiled. He nodded in response, and continued towards the 09er tables. He hadn't had lunch with her all week.

A moment later, he felt a hand on his arm, and turned.

"Hey," said Veronica. "You know, I think you spoiled me with all that food delivery the past few weeks...I'm starting to have trouble stomaching the cafeteria food."

"I'm sorry," he said. He glanced at the 09er tables. "It looks like Dick ordered pizza today. I can grab you a few slices."

She shook her head. "I'm joking," she said. "Listen, I need your help with something. Can you meet me at my house before school tomorrow? Five?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Five _a.m._?"

"Come on, I know you get up early to surf sometimes. You've seen five a.m. before."

Her hand was still on his arm, sitting softly on his bicep. He stared at it a moment, and then looked back at her. "Yeah," he said. "I'll be there."

"Thanks." She squeezed his arm and smiled, and then retreated back to her table.

He turned and went to eat his own lunch. Veronica Mars needed his help, and had actually asked for it? This should be good.

The next morning, Logan knocked on Veronica's door. A moment later, it swung open and Veronica grinned up at him. "Morning, sunshine," she said.

"Morning," he said. "Do I get to know why I'm here at the crack of dawn?"

"In a minute," she said, closing the door behind her. She hurried through the parking lot towards the LeBaron.

Logan followed. "Should I follow you, or..."

"No, we're taking my car. It's less...yellow."

He rolled his eyes, but waited for her to unlock the doors and slid into the passenger seat. Moments later, they were cruising through early morning traffic and into a nice neighborhood somewhere between 90909 and her own. She pulled to a stop at the curb, squinting ahead of her, then nodded and turned off the engine.

"So whose house are we stalking?" Logan asked, looking around.

"That one," said Veronica, pointing up ahead. "It belongs to Clarence Weidman."

"And you wanted me with you on this stake-out to...what? Keep you warm? Cause, you know..."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd want to be involved."

"Okay," he said. "I'll bite. Who is Clarence Weidman?"

"He's the person who took the photos of me framed in gunsights."

Logan tensed. "What?"

"Last weekend, when I was trying to...keep my mind off of things, I pulled out the photos. I realized there was one of me coming out of a therapist's office downtown."

"You were in therapy?" Logan looked at her curiously. "When?"

"Last winter, for about six weeks. My mom made me go."

"Did it work?"

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't talk to the therapist, and eventually my mom said I could stop. But the point is, I went once a week for six weeks on Thursdays, so I figured that particular photo had to have been taken at a specific time - when I was leaving the office - during one of those six weeks. There was also a banner announcing that it was Book Week in the photo, and by that I figured out which Thursday."

"Okay," he said.

"Then I went there and figured out the photo had to have been taken by someone sitting at a corner table at a cafe across the street. I convinced the cafe to pull up receipts for the right time frame, and the only one that came up was paid for by a credit card in the name of Clarence Weidman."

"Who is this guy?"

Veronica shook her head. "I don't know. But that's his house. So I thought we could follow him, see where he goes, maybe that will give me more information."

Logan thought about it for a minute. What she was doing, looking into this, had danger written all over it. If this Weidman guy had taken these photos, it meant he was involved in sending them to Lianne Mars, and possibly connected to the Kanes - if their theory about the Kanes being involved with Lianne's disappearance was correct.

But she had asked him to come along. He smiled.

"Thanks for asking me," he said.

"You're welcome. You know, Logan, just because I said that we shouldn't...whatever...that doesn't mean I don't want to hang out with you. I...miss food delivery."

She glanced at him, and then away, and his stomach clenched. He had been avoiding her because he was having trouble dealing, but she was going through something difficult. And he hadn't been there. He reached across the center console and took her hand. She let him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For being MIA. I'm just having trouble being around you right now."

They stared at each other, and then she smiled and shook her head. "It's okay," she said. "I get it."

Then she pulled her hand out of his, and he tried to ignore the fact that the loss of contact made his insides deflate.

After a minute, he cleared his throat. "So," he said. "Tell me about this other case. The one with Jackass Gant."

"Casey joined a cult," she said. "His parents want my dad to find them doing something illegal so Lamb can shut them down." She shrugged. "But there's nothing to tell. Casey is a different - better - person since joining, and everyone there is just so _nice_. They seem happy. Simple."

"Wait a minute," he said, frowning. "Did you go there? To the cult?"

"Yeah."

"Veronica, did it ever occur to you that that could be, I don't know, a stupid idea?" He carefully unclenched his fists. "They could have locked you in a room and...brainwashed you, or something."

Veronica laughed. "It's not like that. The Moon Calf Collective is like this farm, and everyone there just sort of...works on the farm and sits around the fire and talks about their feelings. It's actually kind of nice there."

"I can't believe your dad would send you out to cult headquarters like that."

Veronica glanced over at him. "He didn't. In fact, he doesn't know I went, and if you mention it to him, I swear I will -"

Logan let out a sigh. "If you go back, will you at least take me with you?"

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Somehow, I can't imagine that you'd be able to...blend." She waved a hand, dismissing it. "Besides, I don't plan to go back. I went with Casey to the hospital to visit his grandmother yesterday - she's dying - and I dropped him off at the Collective afterwards. He invited me to come out, but...I didn't want to risk my dad finding out. I'm convinced they aren't doing anything wrong. My dad hasn't uncovered anything, either."

He saw her tapping her foot, and peered at her. "But?"

"Well...one of the girls out there, it turns out she's a runaway. A minor. I had to tell my dad, but I don't think he should tell the authorities. She seems happy. And the Collective isn't doing anything wrong."

Logan snorted. "Sounds like someone has been drinking the kool-aid."

"Hey - look." Veronica pointed to the Weidman house, and they watched as a tall man in a suit and carrying a briefcase closed the front door and strode down the walk to his car.

"Now what?" asked Logan.

"Now, we see where he goes."

They sat in silence as Veronica maneuvered her car into traffic a short ways behind Weidman. They wound through Neptune, and eventually followed the car into a parking lot they both knew well. Kane Software.

"What the-" muttered Logan as Weidman strode up the walk to the front doors of the office building.

Veronica pulled out her phone and punched some numbers. "Neptune. Kane Software, main number." She listened a moment, then said, "Clarence Weidman, please."

Logan watched as her eyes widened slightly, and then she hung up the phone.

"What?" he asked.

"Clarence Weidman is Head of Security for Kane Software," she muttered. "Jake, if you are my father, I'm coming after you."

Logan reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, and looked back at him.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid," he said.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica lay on her bed, staring at the envelope in her hands. The DNA test results had finally come in, and she hadn't been able to bring herself to open the envelope.

It had already been a difficult day. Casey's grandmother had died the same day she and Logan had followed Clarence Weidman, and she had spent her Saturday at the funeral. She had warned Josh and Holly about her dad, and discovering that Rain was an underage runaway, but instead of being mad at her, they had thanked her for telling them. Casey had been grateful for her support, and then she had watched his parents shove him into their limo along with a creepy "deprogrammer" they had shown up at the office with. Her dad had insisted there was nothing he could do about that for a few days, and so she had come home to fret in peace, only to find the envelope from the DNA test center waiting for her.

Did she want to find out for sure if Keith Mars was her real father?

As it turned out, he hadn't told the authorities about Rain. He had looked into her background - foster care, abuse, etc. - and decided she was better off where she was. That kind of man was the man she wanted to call Dad. Not a man like Jake Kane, who would have a lackey take photos of her framed in gunsights to scare her mother out of town.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the display. Logan.

"Hi," she said into the phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm at home."

_Staring at an envelope and trying to decide if I want to know what's inside._

There was a knock on the door, and she pushed herself up from the bed. "Hang on," she said.

When she opened the door, Logan was standing there, his phone to his ear. He smiled and hung up, shoving the phone in his pocket.

She shook her head and did the same, stepping aside to let him in. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He held up an envelope that looked very similar to her own. "The test results came in," he said. "I can see you have yours, too. Have you looked at it yet?"

"No. I'm...trying to decide if I want to."

She frowned at him, knowing that what she was saying would hurt him. If she didn't open her envelope, she wouldn't know for sure that she and Logan weren't related. And that meant...

_Then why is he smiling?_

"Let's open mine first, then."

"Logan, wait." She reached out and put a hand on his. "You don't have to do this. I know you don't really want to know whether or not Aaron is your father. And if I don't open mine..."

"Relax," he said. He shifted his hand so that he was holding hers, and pulled her over to sit on the sofa. "I've made my decision."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He took his hand back from hers and opened the envelope. As he scanned the contents, he grinned. Her heart sank. That must mean Aaron wasn't his father, and if she didn't open her envelope...

But then he was handing her the paper. "Take a look," he said.

She took the paper from him, a question in her eyes.

"Wait a second," she said, frowning at the paper. "This says that your blood sample and my blood sample..."

"Are not similar enough for us to be half-siblings. To be half-anything."

"But how-"

"Simple. I sent in my blood sample and made a request that it be tested against yours. I didn't bother getting one from Aaron."

She blinked at him. "Then that means..."

He grinned. "That means you were being ridiculous. Which you already knew. It means we're not related, and so you can admit that I was right, and..." He trailed off, and the smile dropped from his lips. "Can I please kiss you now?"

She nodded wordlessly, and braced herself for the assault. It didn't come.

Instead, slowly - so slowly she barely dared to breath - he ducked his head down and placed his lips against hers. He kissed her gently once, then again, and sighed.

"That's better," he murmured against her mouth. "Don't you think?"

"Better than what?" she asked. She was having trouble concentrating, with his mouth doing whatever it was doing. Every time she tried to kiss him, he was moving, placing his own kisses on her upper lip, at the corner of her mouth, on her chin.

"Than not kissing," he said. He returned his lips to hers again, framing her face with his hands. She sank backwards onto the sofa and just enjoyed. She could feel the pads of his fingers in her hair, on her cheeks, her neck, lower, and she began her own explorations, delighting in the small satisfying noises he was making.

This was right. It felt good, to be kissing Logan again. She guessed she hadn't really believed they were related, but she couldn't deal with the possibility, not when she had to deal with it with Duncan -

"Wait," she said, pulling away. "Duncan."

Logan froze. "I'm Logan," he said.

She shook her head. "No, silly. I wasn't calling you Duncan. But I was thinking-"

"About Duncan?" She could hear his teeth grinding together.

"Hey," she said. "Stop freaking out." She traced his jaw with her fingers until he relaxed his muscles, but the look in his eyes said he was confused, bordering on hurt.

"I was thinking how relieved I was that I could kiss you again, and how bad it felt to confront the possibility that there was something wrong with it. And that made me think how Duncan must have felt for the last year. He must know, Logan." She pushed them up into a sitting position. "It has to be why he broke up with me. Jake and Celeste must have told him we were related."

"Yeah," said Logan, running a hand through his hair so that it stuck up in funny places. "I figured that too."

She looked over at the still sealed envelope on the coffee table. Inside was the answer to that big question: were she and Duncan related? Had she been kissing and snuggling with her brother for over a year? Opening it meant finding out for sure, one way or the other.

It also meant having to face who her father was.

With a sigh, she reached over and picked it up. Logan tugged it out of her grasp.

"Hang on," he said. "Think about this a second. Are you sure you want to open it?"

"I have to," she said. "I think...if it says that my dad isn't my biological father, then that doesn't mean he isn't my _dad_. You know? And if it says that I'm a Mars by nature as well as nurture, then I can make things better for Duncan. He must feel..." she shuddered, knowing exactly how he felt because she felt it too.

Silently, Logan handed her the envelope, and she slid her finger under the flap, tearing it open.

She pulled out the contents and took a deep breath, then unfolded the paper and examined it.

"Wow," she said.

Logan was looking over her shoulder at the results, and when she glanced at him, he was frowning.

"I guess my dad really is...my dad," she said, swallowing hard. She was having trouble breathing, and her vision was getting blurry. Was she crying? She clutched the paper to her chest and then threw her arms around Logan's neck.

"Thank god," she breathed into his shoulder. "Thank god."

She kissed him hard, and then she was grinning. She jumped off the sofa.

"Where are you going?" asked Logan.

"Where do you think?" she replied. "To tell Duncan."

She raced into her bedroom, stowed the DNA test results in her bag, and grabbed the bag and her jacket before returning to the living room. Logan was still sitting on the sofa, and he was staring at his hands.

"Hey," she said. He looked up, and she held out her hand. "Coming?"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Don't own, just for fun.

A/N2: I had really wanted this to be done in time for Christmas, but life got in the way. Sorry for the wait, and enjoy!

Previously: Canon through beginning of Credit Where Credit's Due. Logan drives Veronica to Gold Coast, and they solve his parents' credit fraud case together, leading to an uneasy truce. Veronica asks Logan to help with the murder investigation, and he agrees. Veronica finds out that Aaron beats Logan. Logan and Weevil get to know each other while in detention. Veronica learns that Logan has been keeping a lot of information from her, and during a long "immune" conversation, he reveals the truth about her mother, and his lack of an alibi for the day Lilly was murdered. Veronica and Logan kiss, and then she avoids him for a few days before they kiss again and get caught by Wallace. They go to visit Abel Koontz on death row, and Veronica learns that Jake Kane might be her real father. She sends for a DNA test, and wants Logan to do one too, telling him what she learned about his father, but he resists even when she won't continue their relationship without knowing if they're related. He gets a DNA test, but has his DNA tested against hers instead, which shows they aren't brother and sister. She learns that Keith Mars is her real father.

Chapter Ten: Play Your Hand

_Sometimes, just when you think it's hopeless, something happens to make everything right. Well, not everything, but this? Still pretty good._

Veronica raced into her bedroom, stowed the DNA test results in her bag, and grabbed the bag and her jacket before returning to the living room. Logan was still sitting on the sofa, and he was staring at his hands.

"Hey," she said. He looked up, and she held out her hand. "Coming?"

He hesitated, and then stood. "I don't think so," he said, shaking his head.

Her hand dropped to her side. "Why not?"

"Duncan doesn't know I know about this whole 'I dated my sister' thing. I think it's better - for now - if I don't get involved."

"Oh. I guess...that makes sense," said Veronica. She frowned. "You okay? You look...kind of upset."

He smiled, and then bent down to kiss her. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm happy for you. Your dad is still a big bad gun-toting, criminal-hunting, boy-scaring teddy bear. How could I not be happy about that?"

He walked her out to the parking lot. When they reached his car, he leaned down to kiss her again, and there was a desperation present in the kiss that took her breath away. She pulled back and smiled.

"I'll call you later," she said. She ran a finger down his arm. "Or you could wait...hopefully this won't take too long, and I could come back, and we could pick things up where we left off."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "Call me when you're through."

She watched him drive away, shaking her head.

_Was it so long ago that I said I'd never understand Logan Echolls? Score one for Veronica's vision of the future._

She pushed it aside and drove to the Kane estate. She couldn't help but giggle a little on her way over, because the sense of relief - at the fact that Keith Mars was her really real father, at the fact that she hadn't spent a year dating her brother - was overwhelming. But most of all, she giggled remembering the look on Logan's face when he had said, "Can I please kiss you now?" And what immediately followed.

A few minutes later she was ringing the Kane's doorbell and praying that Celeste didn't answer the door. Someone must have been listening, because it was Duncan himself who appeared. The look of surprise that crossed his face was immediately replaced by a grin.

"Veronica," he said. "What are you doing here? I mean, hi."

"Hi," she replied. "We need to talk. Somewhere private."

He looked over his shoulder. "Sure," he said. "My parents are home, though. Do you want to...go for a walk?"

"Yeah," she said. "That would be good."

He stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him, and they began to stroll down the drive towards the street. She waited until they had left the Kane estate before taking a deep breath.

"Duncan," she said, "I know why you broke up with me."

Silence. She glanced to her left, and saw that his face was getting red as he stared at the ground.

"I know that you think...somehow...that your dad is -" _God, why is this so hard?_ "-is my dad too."

Duncan stopped walking and looked at her, his eyes wide and pained.

"How do you know?" he whispered.

"Doesn't matter. But that's why? That's why you dumped me without telling me you were dumping me? That's why you started avoiding me?"

_Man up, Duncan. Tell me the truth, for once._

"Yeah," he said, looking away. "I tried...I tried to turn it off, what I felt for you, once I knew, but it wouldn't go away. I couldn't stop loving you, and so I had to just stay away from you. Even after I found out, that night...I just couldn't help it."

His face was crumbling before her eyes. She had to tell him the truth, relieve his misery.

"Duncan." She reached out, grabbed his sleeve. "It's okay. I'm not your sister."

He froze. "What?"

She dug into her bag and pulled out the DNA test, shoving it at him. "Keith Mars is my dad. We're not related."

He took the paper and stared at it, then at her. He nearly collapsed to the ground. She could practically see the relief coming off of him in waves.

"So...it's okay," she said. "We never did anything wrong."

Then his arms were around her, and he was holding her tight. Was he crying? She let him, and after a few minutes she gently stepped away.

"I just got the results," she said. "And I wanted you to know right away. I'm sorry you had to feel like this for a year."

"Thanks," he said. "God, you have no idea how much better this makes me feel."

_Actually, I think I do. There were two people in that relationship, remember? But there's something else I need to know._

"Duncan, how did you find out we might be related? Who told you? Was it your dad?"

He shook his head. "My mom," he said. "She pulled me aside and said she didn't want things to go any further between us and told me."

"She didn't want things to go any _further_? We dated for a _year_. How could she not have said anything earlier?"

He shrugged. "Maybe she didn't know - or, maybe she didn't think that you were my sister until she told me. Maybe she had just found out about your mom and my dad."

_A plausible explanation. And I wouldn't put it past Celeste Kane to just stir up trouble and use her newfound information to break us up._

Now Duncan was smiling. No, grinning.

"What?" she asked, rubbing at her nose. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No. But I was realizing that now we can hang out again without me thinking constantly what a terrible person I am."

"I'd like that," she said softly. She really had missed Duncan. And now that she and Logan were...whatever...she wanted the three of them to be able to be friends. Like it used to be. Before Lilly died. That had been what made Lilly's death even harder to bear...she had lost not only Lilly, but Duncan and Logan, too. To get them both back would make some of the pain feel...less painful.

"Yeah, me too."

They returned to her car, and she hugged him again before getting inside. He waved as she drove away, smiling. She had her phone out before she had turned back onto the street.

"Hey, you," she said, when Logan picked up.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected. Actually, better than that. Duncan has had the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders. You know, it was his bitch of a mother who told him."

"Well, Celeste will stop at nothing to get what she wants."

"Don't I know it. Where are you?"

"Home. I forgot that I was hosting a poker game tonight. I could cancel it, come back over..."

Veronica considered. She did want to spend time with Logan, but she also wanted to spend time with her father, now that she knew that was exactly what he was.

"No, do your thing. Just don't bet the ranch."

"I have a ranch? Yeehaw."

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

After Logan hung up from his conversation with Veronica, his phone rang again. He answered it without looking at the display.

"Miss me already?"

"I always miss you, Moneybags," drawled the voice on the other end.

"Weevil. To what do I owe the extreme displeasure?"

"I hear you're having a poker game. I want in."

Logan laughed. Weevil wanted to play poker with him and a bunch of 09ers? Did he have a death wish?

"I'm sure you do, but I can't," he said.

"I got the money, so what's the problem?" asked Weevil.

"Look, my only concern is property values going down if anyone sees you in my house without a leaf blower or a skimmer."

After their week in detention, Logan kind of liked Weevil. A little. But he wasn't sure how well it would go over with the rest of the guys.

"_You're_ concerned? _I'm_ the one who's gotta go up into the hills, all by myself. What if I run into a pack of you white boys, huh, on some clean, well-lit street? I could be bored to death."

Logan chuckled. "Fine," he said. "It's a thousand dollars in ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. And Weevs, we don't take food stamps."

"Jackass," said Weevil with a chuckle of his own, and hung up.

_So I've been told,_ Logan thought.

A couple of hours later, the first guest arrived. Duncan entered the poolhouse with a grin and a spring in his step that made Logan grit his teeth. Then he pulled a full handle of Jack out of his coat and set it onto the table with a bang.

"Planning to go for the alcohol poisoning trophy tonight?" asked Logan, raising his eyebrow at the bottle.

"I'm celebrating," said Duncan.

"And what, exactly, are you celebrating?"

"Getting my life back."

Duncan didn't say more, just whistled while he hung up his coat and set to work helping Logan open bags of nuts and pretzels. Logan knew why Duncan was practically giddy, of course. Veronica had just told him that she wasn't his sister, opening the door to the revival of the one relationship that had meant something to Duncan.

At the thought of Duncan making a move on Veronica, whether she would be receptive or not, Logan pulled on a bag too hard and sent nuts flying all over the room.

"Dude," said Duncan, laughing. "Watch it. It's like you don't know your own strength."

Logan flashed a grin at Duncan - one that he had to force - and cleaned up the mess in silence.

A half hour later, the rest of the guests had arrived: Sean Freiderich, who was a pompous ass but usually good for a poker game; Weevil, whose appearance got a raised eyebrow from Duncan; and Connor Larkin, a teenage movie star who was doing another crappy movie with Logan's father.

The game started. Duncan got drunk and started singing along with a Christmas special that was playing on television. Duncan and Weevil got in Logan's face about the insufficient size of the tip he was trying to give the pizza delivery guy. They took a break when the others noticed Logan's mother taking a nighttime swim in a bikini.

Finally, it was down to Logan and Weevil, and Logan was feeling pretty damned good about his chances. There were only two cards in the deck that wouldn't help him win. Unfortunately, one of those turned up, and Weevil beat him on an all-in final hand with a fucking pair of twos.

_Whoever said I was lucky anyhow? Last I checked, "lucky" wasn't something you could buy._

With a grumble, Logan reached for the box where he had stored the money. When he opened it, however, it was empty. No fat roll of one hundred dollar bills amounting to the five grand pot. He shifted the trays in the box around, and then looked up at the others around the table. Weevil was glaring at him.

_Shit_.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

The next day, Sunday, Veronica accompanied her father to the office to catch up on some filing and billing. They had been there about an hour when the door opened.

Mac poked her head into the office. "Veronica?" she called.

"Hey," said Veronica. "Ooh, you changed the blue to green." She indicated the colored streak in Mac's hair.

"Christmas," said Mac in explanation.

"Have a seat," said Veronica, gesturing to the visitors' chairs. "What brings you to Mars Investigations this fine December afternoon?"

Mac sat, and took a breath. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about the-" she glanced around. The door to Keith's office was closed, and the rest of the room was empty. Veronica waited patiently. "-the hacking job I did for you. The California vital statistics database?"

"Oh. Oh, Mac, I should have called you off of that. It turns out I don't need the information after all." Veronica shrugged apologetically. "The case solved itself."

Mac waved it away. "Don't worry about it. Now I know how to do it, so if you ever do want any info from that sucker, I'm your girl. But I actually wanted to talk to you about something I found while poking around there."

Veronica tensed and leaned forward. "What?"

"Well...I used my own birth certificate as a test case. I mean, I've always wondered if I was adopted. My parents are kind of...they're great, but they just don't get me. They're nachos and NASCAR, and I'm..."

"Falafels and fellini?"

"Exactly. Anyway, as a semi-joke, I looked to see if I had any previously issued birth certificates."

Mac shifted in her seat, and Veronica reached across the desk. "Mac," she said. "What did you find?"

"There were two."

"Two birth certificates?"

"No, two previously issued. Three in total."

Veronica sat back in her chair. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I," said Mac. "And that's hopefully where you come in."

She reached into her bag and pulled out three pieces of paper, pushing them across the desk.

"This one is the latest one," she said. "It lists my parents as Natalie and Sam Mackenzie." She flipped to the next page. "This is the earliest one."

"It says the same thing," said Veronica, confused. She scanned the two birth certificates but couldn't see any difference.

"Right. But the one in the middle..." Mac flipped the final page, and Veronica gasped.

"It says your parents are Paul and Josephine Sinclair."

"Yeah," whispered Mac. "Madison Sinclair's parents."

Veronica shook her head. "And you want me to figure out why their names show up on a buried birth certificate?"

"Well...I think I might know. Because then I looked up Madison Sinclair's birth certificate - did you know she was born the day after me? - and she's got the same weirdness happening, except that _her_ middle birth certificate lists _my_ parents."

Veronica let this sink in. If the first certificate was wrong, and the second was corrected, and then the third was changed... "You think you were switched at birth with Madison Sinclair?"

"Yeah. You got anything to drink around here, 'cause I'm about four steps past where you are into going crazy."

"Mac, let's not jump to any conclusions. I'll dig around, see if I can find anything to confirm or deny all of this."

She got up from her chair and moved around to where Mac was also rising. She wrapped her arms around the other girl and squeezed tightly.

"We'll get to the bottom of it and then figure out where to go from there," she said.

"Thanks," said Mac. She smiled sheepishly. "Hey, if I'm a Sinclair, I'm probably loaded, so college fund? No longer a problem, right?"

"Right," agreed Veronica. She watched Mac leave, and sank down into the chair Mac had just vacated.

She knew how Mac was feeling. At least some of it. She had been there just last week, wondering who her real family was. She'd have to figure this out for Mac, and then help her deal with it, whatever the answers were.

In school on Monday, Veronica was hurrying down the hall in the direction of her locker before lunch when she heard someone call out her name.

"Hey, Veronica, wait up."

Veronica turned to see Meg trotting down the hall, waving. She smiled and waved back.

"What's the what, Meg?" she asked.

Meg got a mischievous smile on her face. "Well, my parents booked a condo in Aspen for break the week after Christmas, and they said I could invite a friend. I'm inviting _you_." She poked Veronica for emphasis.

Veronica blinked in surprise. "Really? I mean, thanks, Meg, but...I don't know. I don't even ski."

Meg slipped her arm through Veronica's and they continued down the hall. "So, you'll take a lesson, I have stuff you can borrow. Just think about it...hearty breakfast, then shoosh-shoosh-shoosh on the slopes, then hanging out in the lodge in our cute ski outfits and flirting with all the ski instructors..."

Veronica laughed. "Well, when you put it _that_ way..."

"So you'll come?"

"Meg, I just...Madison is also hosting a to-do in Aspen that week. The slopes will be full of people who hate me. I'm not sure I'm excited about the idea of being spit on while I fall on my face."

Meg rolled her eyes. "Please, Veronica, everyone is over that. No one _hates_ you anymore. If you'd hang out with us from time to time you'd see that. And yes, I know about the Sinclair condo. My parents would never let me go, so I'm not even telling them about it. But since we'll be there anyway, we can be part of the fun and still have a nice, non-beer-smelling bed to sleep in at the end of the night."

Veronica tilted her head to the side and looked at Meg curiously.

"What?" asked Meg.

"Why me?"

"Simple. Because you're the one I want to ask."

"And everyone else is staying at Madison's."

"True. But I _would_ love company when I arrive and leave Casa de Party. And I'm trying to find a way to convince you to slip back into the crowd."

Veronica shook her head. "Ah, honesty. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with going, but I'll think about it."

"Awesome." Meg gave Veronica a hug and then bounced off.

Well, this was an interesting development. Veronica wondered if Logan had ever made up his mind about going to Aspen or if he had definitely told Madison no. As she was considering this, she heard a commotion behind her and jumped out of the way of Duncan, who was rushing at Weevil, who had appeared from a classroom.

"I want my laptop back," Duncan growled, shoving Weevil.

Weevil shook him off. "How does it feel to want?" he asked in a snide tone.

"I am not screwing around," Duncan said, shoving Weevil again. He was grabbed by a couple of the bikers Weevil hung out with, and he yanked at his arms, trying to get free. "I didn't take the money."

Weevil shrugged. "Someone did. Let him go," he ordered the bikers. They obeyed, and followed Weevil down the hall. Duncan watched them go, his hands clenched into fists.

"Hey," said Veronica, stepping up beside Duncan. "What's going on? He took your laptop?"

Duncan glanced at her. "There was this poker game at Logan's Saturday night. Weevil won five grand and someone stole the money. This is his way of collecting."

"Weevil was at the poker game?" asked Veronica, wrinkling her brow.

"I didn't invite him," said Duncan. "You know, this kind of concerns you."

"I don't see how," she said.

"Well...I keep a journal on my laptop for the past, I dunno, three years. There was a time when you were kind of a feature." He grinned. "I was prolific."

Veronica stared at him.

_Oh God. Just what I need, Duncan waxing poetic about how he has forbidden feelings for his half-sister. There are plenty of things that could be in that journal that I would rather never saw the light of day._

"Okay, I see how it concerns me," she said. "I'll help you get it back. Any idea who stole the money?"

Duncan slung an arm around her shoulders, and she stiffened momentarily. "Well," he said, "I don't really know, but...when Weevil got there, I was sort of surprised to see him. Logan leaned over and said something like, 'Don't worry. There's no way in hell I'm letting Weevil walk out of here with our money.'"

"You're suggesting Logan invited Weevil to steal from him?"

"No, maybe he didn't _invite_ him there for that purpose, but..." Duncan shrugged. "You know Logan."

_Yeah, I do. And I don't believe it. He and Weevil seemed almost chummy a couple of weeks ago._

She shook his arm off. "I'm on it. I'll see you later."

"I ordered Italian for lunch," he said with a grin. "I know how much you love lasagna from Luigi's."

"Yeah. Thanks," she said. She gave him a brief smile and hurried away. Duncan was acting...well, he had said he wanted to hang out more. She brushed off the thoughts she had been having about him coming on a little strong, and went in search of Weevil.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan watched Veronica smile at Duncan and swallowed. Well, that hadn't taken long at all, he thought. He had come around the corner just as Duncan put his arm around Veronica's shoulders, and the sight had brought him up short. The thing is, it was so...familiar. Watching them together brought him back to a year and a half ago, before Lilly died and everything went to hell, when seeing Duncan with his arm around Veronica was a regular occurrence.

What did it mean?

He shook off the question and waited for Veronica to disappear through a classroom door before catching up to his best friend.

"What was that about?" he asked Duncan, jerking his head in Veronica's direction.

"She's going to figure out who stole the poker money," he said. "So I can get my laptop back."

"Oh, goodie," said Logan with an eye roll.

"If you took the money, you should just confess. She'll figure it out."

He looked sharply at Duncan. "If _I_ took the money? What the hell, dude. You know I didn't take it."

"I know no one left with it, and it's your house."

Logan stared at Duncan, who stared right back. Finally, Logan stepped back, his palms raised. "Whatever. Believe what you want. It's not like you ever actually try to get to the bottom of suspicions, anyhow."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing at all," spat Logan, and then he turned and walked away.

Ten minutes later, he collected his Thai delivery and headed for Veronica's table. She was sitting there with Wallace...and Duncan. She had an open container of something italian in front of her, and she was laughing. He was trying to decide if he should go over or leave her alone when she looked up and spotted him. She smiled and waved him over.

When he got to the table, she scooted to the side and patted the seat next to her. He sat down and plunked his takeout containers on the table.

"Looks like I'm late to the party," he said. "But if you want crispy pad thai, it's in that one right there."

"Ooh." Veronica immediately reached for the container and opened it, taking a deep breath to inhale the tantalizing smell.

"You already have lasagna," Duncan pointed out.

"So? I can't have both?" She dipped her fork into the pad thai and took a huge bite. "Thank you," she said to Logan, her mouth full of noodles.

He couldn't help but grin at her. Then he turned to Duncan. "If I had known you were ordering, I wouldn't have bothered."

Duncan just scowled down at the table.

Wallace, who was sitting across from Logan, looked back and forth between the boys, and then shrugged. He grabbed a Thai container and began alternating bites between yellow curry and spaghetti and meatballs, looking perfectly contented.

"You guys should fail to communicate more often," he said with a grin. "It works out well for us of the lower income bracket."

"So," Logan said, turning to Veronica. "Duncan tells me you're going all super sleuth about this poker game. Is he right? Should I expect the money to turn up soon?"

"You heard right," she replied. "I talked to Weevil, and he said he'd return all your stuff as soon as the money turns up. He told me a little about the game, but I think I'll have to get each one of you alone-" she jabbed his side with her elbow, "-and put the screws to you."

"Screw with me anytime you want," he muttered in her ear. She laughed, and some of the tenseness in his stomach released.

On the other side of the table, Duncan got to his feet and walked away.

"What's with him?" asked Veronica, frowning.

_He's still in love with you,_ Logan thought. If Duncan hadn't told her yet, Logan certainly wasn't going to be the one to plant that seed.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

That afternoon, Veronica stowed her bag at the reception desk at the office and then leaned on the doorjamb of her father's office. He was peering at papers spread out in front of him. After a minute, he looked up, sensing her presence.

"What are you hovering around for?" he asked, smiling.

"I have a question to ask you. And I'd like it if you set aside concern and worry for your daughter's fragile emotional state and answered it honestly."

"Oh?" Keith sat back and his chair and regarded her.

"It's about the Lilly Kane case," she said, moving to sit in one of the visitors' chairs.

"Oh." Keith sighed. "You know I'd rather you not have to think about that. It was good work, noticing the shoe discrepancy, but it would be a really wonderful Christmas gift if you decided to forget about it and go on with your life. Let your old dad worry about it."

Veronica shook her head. "You know I can't do that. I can promise you that I'm not doing anything stupid, but there are a couple of things I don't understand, and if you could explain them, maybe it would be easier for me to back off."

She had been thinking about the fact that the Kanes appeared to be behind sending her mother the gunsight photos, and it made her wonder about their involvement in Lilly's death, and what her father hadn't told her.

"Well, ask your question," said Keith, "but I reserve the right to refuse to answer it."

"Why did you fixate on Jake Kane? What made you suspect him?"

Keith frowned, and appeared to be thinking. She let him, and waited patiently until he leaned his elbows on the desk.

"The night of the murder, I was the first one on the scene. I was questioning Jake and Celeste about what had happened - when they got home, what they found, what they did next. They were telling me that they had been home only a few minutes when Jake went to look for Duncan and Lilly out by the pool, and found her. They said that Duncan had gotten home first, but he was in the shower and hadn't gone out back. Then, I heard the buzzer from a laundry machine go off. The Kanes had two full-time housekeepers. My guess, they hadn't done their own laundry in a very long time...so give me one good reason why they would start a load of laundry the night they found their daughter bludgeoned to death."

Veronica's stomach flipped. She knew her dad must have had a good reason to suspect the Kanes, but...it was sounding like he had a _really_ good reason.

"Honey," continued Keith softly, "it was a soccer uniform in the dryer."

She sat back, feeling as if she had been slapped. A soccer uniform? That meant that, for whatever reason, Duncan was doing laundry and showering, the same afternoon his sister bled out all over the pool deck. She swallowed hard, and nodded.

"Thanks for telling me," she said. "And I'm okay. Do you think...that Duncan did it?"

Keith shrugged. "I really don't know," he said. "It's possible it could be totally innocent that he was washing his uniform, but..."

"Right," said Veronica. She got to her feet, but Keith stopped her.

"Do you have time to run over to the Echolls'?" he asked. "I have some paperwork that I need Logan's mother to sign." He held out a manila envelope.

"Sure," she said. That would give her an excuse to go see Logan. Not that she needed one, but...it made her feel better to have one. "What's this about?"

"Lynn hired me to find one of her husband's stalkers."

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Fun."

"Now, don't you think about getting involved with this one. Whoever the stalker is, he or she is dangerous. A pumpkin carved to look like Aaron's head with a cleaver in it was delivered to their house today."

Veronica couldn't help but giggle, which made Keith look at her sternly. "Sorry," she said. "The image just...took me by surprise. Anyway, I have a case of my own to keep me busy this week."

"Should I ask what it's about?"

"I'm trying to find a card not-so-sharp," she said, taking the envelope and walking out the door.

Twenty minutes later, she was handing the envelope to Lynn Echolls.

"Thank you, Veronica. It was so nice to see your father again, and it is so nice to see you. Logan's happy you two are spending time together again," she said with a gracious smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. Echolls."

"Call me Lynn, dear." Lynn turned and pointed to a spot on the tree that was undergoing decoration. "Carlita, I told you an hour ago, there's a bald patch over there."

"Is Logan around?" asked Veronica, drawing the elegant woman's attention back to her.

"Check out back. With all this activity, I think he retreated to the relative peace of the poolhouse. I don't blame him," she said with a wink.

Veronica made her way through the house and out the back door. Sure enough, when she reached the poolhouse, she found Logan immersed in some kind of video game. She smiled, and then took in the scene surrounding him. It looked like the place had been ransacked: furniture tipped over, drawers open with their contents spilled on the floor, empty bottles and plates shoved to the side.

"What happened in here?" she asked.

Logan looked up, and then back at the screen. He swore, and then pressed a few buttons and tossed the controller aside, getting to his feet in a smooth move.

"I'm redecorating. Going for urban crack den chic. What do you think, is it over the top?"

He crossed the room in three strides and was kissing her before she could respond. She giggled when he lifted her off the ground and sat her on the table, but then forgot about the giggling when his mouth met hers again. She grabbed his shoulders so she didn't tip over backwards, and gasped when the hands around her waist slid up and inside her jacket.

After several minutes, he let himself get two inches away from her, and smiled. "Hi," he said.

"Hi." She brushed hair back from his forehead, and grinned. "My dad needed me to drop off some paperwork for your mom. Seems she wants Mars Investigations to track down one of your dad's stalkers."

"Only one?" Logan helped Veronica off the table and looked around the room. "Hmm. I'd offer you a more regular seat, but..."

"That's okay," she said. "I can't really stay. But while I'm here, tell me more about this poker game."

Logan began to move around the room, righting chairs and replacing drawers. "I don't know what you want to know. Me, Duncan, Weevil, Sean, and Connor. A thousand buy-in. I took everyone's cash, rolled it up in a big wad, and put it in the empty chip box, which I closed."

"And where did you put the box?"

"It was right on the table. In plain sight. We played for a few hours, Weevil won, and when I went to get the money, it was gone."

"Duncan seems to think no one left here with the money."

Logan straightened, looked her in the eye. "Yeah. He mentioned that to me, too. Implying that I'm the one who stole it. Is that what you think?"

She shook her head. "Petty theft isn't your style."

"Maybe making sure the likes of Weevil didn't go home with the money is." He folded his arms across his chest, challenging her with both his stance and gaze.

She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "I might have thought that a couple of months ago, but now I know you have a soft spot for your partner in crime. You play fair with people you respect, even if you don't like them."

Something passed through his eyes then...relief? Wonder? Veronica had begun to realize that Logan didn't see his better qualities as much as he focused on his faults, and no one in his life had ever done anything _but_ fixate on his faults. She wondered if she could change that.

"Anyway," she smirked, "even if I didn't have faith in your honor among thieves, seeing this place would have convinced me."

Logan's brows drew together. "Come again?"

"It looks like it's been ransacked. Weevil told me that he didn't search this place like he wanted to, and so...you must have. Why would you do that if you were the one who took the cash? The question remains, who did?"

Logan frowned. "Hell if I know. Although...you might want to talk to Connor."

"Connor? As in Connor Larkin? The movie star?" Veronica couldn't help but feel a little starstruck by the name.

"He's a mortal, believe me," said Logan dryly. "They just draw his abs on."

Veronica smirked. She strolled forward, placed her hands an inch away from his stomach.

"What about yours? Are they drawn on, or are they real?"

"What kind of a detective are you?" he murmured, his eyes fixed on her hands. "Isn't there some way you can find out?"

She inched forwards until her palms rested on his stomach. She could feel his muscles contracting under his shirt. She tipped her head back, caught his eyes.

"They feel pretty real to me," she whispered, and stretched up to meet his lips.

Half an hour later - later than she had intended on staying, but Logan really had a way of making her forget that time was passing - she was on her way to Connor Larkin's movie set. Logan had called ahead and gotten her a walk-on pass. He had offered to join her, but she thought she would get more out of Connor without Logan there.

As she strode across the set in the direction of Connor's trailer, she realized that she hadn't talked to Logan about what she had learned from her father, about Duncan. She'd have to remember to do that later. She also still had to get to the library and see what else she could find out about Mac's parents. And she didn't have Christmas gifts yet for her dad, or Wallace. The only gift she had bought was for Back-up, for god's sake. And...shoot, was she supposed to get something for Logan? If so, what?

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Logan leaned against the lockers, waiting for Dick to finish doing whatever he was doing in his.

"Dude, seriously. Just agree to come. You know you're going to in the end, anyway," Dick said, slamming his locker shut.

Dick was still trying to convince Logan to come to Madison's Aspen condo over the break. The thing was, Logan wanted to spend the break with Veronica more than he wanted to spend it getting drunk and hanging around the rest of his friends. He couldn't tell _Dick_ that, because they were still keeping things quiet, and telling Dick would be like wearing a neon sign.

"I'm still thinking about it," he said. "My parents are going to be in town for once, and my dad has been implying I should plan to stick around, too." Though that itself was reason enough to leave town, Logan wasn't about to say that, either.

"Okay, but if you miss out on calling the better bedrooms, that's your deal. Don't come crying to Dick that you're stuck in the room with two sets of bunk beds."

"Who's stuck with the bunk beds?" Duncan greeted them. Logan noticed that Duncan didn't quite meet his eyes.

"This guy will be if he doesn't decide soon that he's in for Aspen," said Dick, punching Logan's shoulder.

"Ow," Logan said. "Cut it out." He punched Dick back. Dick just rolled his eyes.

"You're not going?" asked Duncan. "I thought everyone was."

"I don't know yet," Logan said. "I haven't made up my mind."

"Meg's even going to be there," said Duncan.

"Meg? Really?" Dick leered. "Maybe there's some truth to that purity test after all."

"Jackass," said Duncan, rolling his eyes. "She's going up with her family, but they'll be there the same time. She told me she's trying to convince Veronica to go with them."

Logan, whose thoughts had started to wander, immediately tuned back into the conversation. "What was that?" he asked.

"He said Ronnie might go to Aspen. Now _that_ would be entertaining," said Dick, rubbing his hands together. "Considering what happened at the last party she went to, you never know what she'll do."

Logan frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Shelley's party, last year, remember? Dude, the body shots were priceless. And-"

"Dick, would you shut up?" Duncan interrupted, giving Dick a shove.

"I'm just reminiscing. Pretty little Ronnie in her white dress, all soft and willing-"

"I said shut up." Duncan shoved Dick again, harder, so that he stumbled backwards and into a set of lockers. Then he looked around, saw that a crowd was gathering, and took off down the hall. Dick and Logan watched him go.

"What the hell is up his butt?" asked Dick, pushing himself upright.

"I don't know," said Logan. "Oh, but Dick...you even think about treating Veronica the way we did at Shelley's party last year, and I'll kill you."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Dick, rolling his eyes. "We all got the message. Veronica's a golden child again. You're like a broken record, dude. Might want to think about playing a new tune. See ya."

He headed down the hall in the opposite direction from Duncan. He hadn't thought about that party in a while...willfully ignored it, in fact. Veronica hadn't said anything to him about it, but a heavy brick of guilt began to form in his stomach. That had been shortly after Lilly died, after Keith Mars was ousted from the Sheriff's department, after they had all turned on Veronica. He remembered wondering why she had shown her face there, and being so angry...

Remembering what he had done that night, with the tequila shots and a very drunk Veronica, made him sick. She was giving him her forgiveness and trust now, but he wondered if she even remembered that night. He wondered how she would react if she found out what he had done. The thought of telling her, to get everything out in the open, scared him.

But he had to tell her, confront it head on. If Duncan decided to use that to convince Veronica she should be with him instead of Logan, would it work? Logan had a sinking feeling that it might.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

Veronica wandered into the courtyard at lunch on Friday, thinking about what she had discovered. Connor hadn't had a lot of helpful information, but she had found a few morsels in his tales of Duncan getting pissed about the tip for the pizza delivery guy, and watching him drink his sun tea.

But the real discovery was Sean Freiderich, the butler's son. Funny how he had been able to keep that a secret, pretending to be one of the richest 09ers, getting dropped off in a limo every day, letting his attitude of snobbery bolster his appearances. She noticed Logan sitting with Duncan and Sean at an 09er table, and Weevil standing with some of the bikers off to one side of the courtyard. She started towards Weevil when someone grabbed her arm.

"Hey, Veronica," said Mac. "I'm sort of afraid to ask, but..."

"Hey, Mac." Veronica smiled. "The answer is yes. I did look into it, and...why don't we sit down?"

She led Mac to her table and they sat. Mac looked at her apprehensively, and Veronica sighed.

"Okay," she said. "So I looked up your parents and the Sinclairs, and found out they both got a million dollar payout from a lawsuit settlement with Neptune Memorial Hospital in 1992. Thanks to the newspaper archives at the Neptune Public Library, I think I know what happened. In 1992, the same time as the payout, there was a report of two families settling with the hospital in a suit alleging that the hospital had accidentally switched two baby girls, born a day apart, in 1987."

"So...I was switched at birth with Madison Sinclair?" Mac whispered. She swallowed, her eyes wide. "I didn't...I guess I didn't actually believe it was true."

"It looks like it," Veronica said, laying her hand on Mac's arm. "But, hey...your parents are nice, right? You've had a good life."

"Why didn't they switch us back? When they found out?"

"Well...maybe they had gotten attached. You're kind of a cool person, Mac."

Mac smiled at that. "It's just...I'm not sure what to-"

"Veronica!"

Mac was interrupted when Meg slid into the bench across the table. "Hi," she said. "Sorry...did I interrupt something?" She glanced back and forth between Mac and Veronica.

"It's fine, Meg. What's up?" asked Veronica. Mac needed a minute to digest the information, anyway, she figured.

"I was just wondering if you'd considered my offer and realized how amazing it is." Meg giggled. "My parents want to know if they should book you a ticket to fly out with us, or if you wanted to come at a different time."

"Oh," said Veronica. "Meg, I'm just not-"

"No. Do not say you're not comfortable." She turned to Mac. "Don't you think she should come to Aspen with my family next week? Some controlled partying at the Sinclair condo and a nice place to stay when we're done?"

Mac blinked, and then looked at Veronica. "I would go, if I were you," she said. "You could get a chance to see how the Sinclairs live."

"That's _just_ what I've always dreamed of, getting an inside look at the life of Madison Sinc-" Veronica stopped, and then looked at Mac. She smiled. "You know what? I think I would be more comfortable if I had one more friend there," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Meg.

"Do you think your parents would let you invite two people? The other one being Mac? Oh, Mac, this is Meg. Meg, Mac." She gestured between the two of them.

Meg grinned at Mac. "Hi, Mac. Cool hair." She turned to Veronica. "Yes, they would be fine with it, I'm sure. It's settled then. The three of us will be skiing and apres-skiing this time next week." She clapped her hands. "Mac, just email me your info and we'll get all the plane tickets. This is going to be a blast!"

She pushed up from the table and waved, trotting off. Mac peered at Veronica.

"What just happened?" she asked.

Veronica smiled. "You and I just got invited to spend a week living like the other half in Aspen. If your parents have any questions, just have them call my dad." She saw Weevil moving across the courtyard towards Logan's table, and got to her feet. "Sorry, Mac, I have to run. We'll talk later."

_Okay, boys. Time for me to set up the big whodunit reveal. And maybe make some cash for Christmas presents while I'm at it._

She approached Logan's table on Weevil's heels. When she got there, the guys all looked up.

"So, good news, bad new," she said, lifting a piece of pizza out of the box in the middle of the table. "The good news is, I know who stole the money. The bad news is, _I_ know who stole the money."

Logan smirked, and she grinned back.

"Here's my brilliant idea. Filled with holiday spirit, Logan will host another game."

"Will I?" asked Logan.

"I'm thinking tonight," she said around a bite of pizza. She slid onto the seat beside Logan, and ignored the tingling in her stomach at just being next to him.

"No, my mother's Christmas party is tonight," he said, shrugging. He nudged his knee against hers under the table, and she tamped down a shiver that threatened to work its way up her spine.

"So? Here's how it will go down. I'll tell you who did it and you'll buy me into the game. I'll just take the place of whoever stole the money. Unless you still might think you want him around? And if you think about it, anyone who doesn't see this as a great offer is obviously the thief. Kind of a no-brainer."

The guys glanced at each other, and then at her, and she knew she had them.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

That night, Weevil elbowed Logan in the side, and Logan glared at him.

"What the hell, dude?" he asked.

"Looks like you've got competition for V's affections," said the biker, jerking his chin towards the poolhouse bathroom, where Duncan was checking out his reflection.

"As usual, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You should try speaking English sometime." Logan shrugged, careful to keep his expression bland, even though he knew Weevil was right about Duncan.

"For what it's worth, my money's on you. Kane isn't interesting enough for V. Not these days, anyway."

Weevil walked away, and Logan stared after him. He had known for couple of weeks that Weevil was onto him and Veronica, and for some reason, Weevil seemed to be in support of their clandestine relationship. Well, he'd take all the support he could get, because it did look like Duncan was primping for their lone female guest, due to arrive any moment.

When Duncan emerged from the bathroom, Logan approached him. Duncan folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall, not meeting Logan's eyes.

"Either you actually think I took the money, or you're pissed at me about something else," said Logan. "Did we break up or something? Should I give you your best friend charm back?"

Duncan shot him a look. "Seems if you took the money, you'd be smart enough to just give it back. Veronica would expose you. And since you're not completely stupid..."

He gave Logan a smile and nudged Logan's shoulder with her own. "I'm sorry I..."

"Whatever," said Logan, but he couldn't help but smile back. "So. We're good?"

"Yeah. We're good. Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Logan shifted so that he was leaning against the wall facing his once-again best friend.

"Has Veronica...said anything to you? About me? I mean, I know you guys hang out."

Logan looked at the floor. "Like what?" Was Duncan asking him whether he knew about the DNA test?

"Well...I was kind of thinking of getting back together with her. And she seems like she might be into that."

Logan stiffened. "What makes you think so?"

"You _don't_ think so? Why? What has she said?"

"Nothing," said Logan, trying not to clench his teeth. "She hasn't said anything. But I thought you guys were...long over."

"We were," Duncan said, running a hand through his hair. "But...some things have changed recently. I thought...I thought maybe tonight I might say something. Since she's going to be in Aspen next week and everything, this might be a perfect time to...reintroduce ourselves to Neptune High as a couple."

"Right. Could be." Unable to listen to Duncan any longer, Logan crossed to the table and began to dole the poker chips out of the chip box.

The door to the poolhouse opened then, and Veronica swept inside. Duncan was beside her in a moment, taking her jacket and her bag. She smiled at him in thanks, and said something that Logan couldn't hear. Duncan chuckled. Logan bristled.

Veronica turned to the rest of them. "Hi, boys," she said, tilting her head to one side. "Are you excited to see me?"

"I've never known such excitement," said Logan with a smirk. He caught her eye, and her grin widened. "Shall we get started?" he asked. "I, for one, am anxious to get my name cleared and move on to the winning-your-money portion of the evening."

The boys settled around the table, naturally choosing the same seats as they had for the previous game. Veronica wandered slowly around the outside, her finger to her lips as if thinking hard. Logan sat back in his chair and couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He loved watching her toy with people.

After two revolutions, Weevil spoke up. "So, V, you here to make us dizzy, or you going to share your findings so I can get my money?"

"Patience, dear Eli," said Veronica. She stopped behind Duncan. "I'll reveal all. But first...a little refreshment."

She reached over Duncan's shoulder and snagged his handle of Jack Daniels, tipped it back and chugged. The guys all made impressed murmurs, all except for Duncan, who sighed and thunked his head on the table. She brought the bottle back down.

"Hmm," she said. "Iced tea. How very musical theater of you." She ruffled Duncan's hair, and he rolled his eyes. "Duncan played drunk that night to win your money, not steal it...apparently, it didn't work."

She strolled around the table until she stood behind Connor. "Connor isn't a drug addict, by the way," she said.

Connor looked up from his cup of tea, glanced around the table. "A what?"

"His frequent bathroom breaks were because of the sun tea he's drinking to drop some weight...not to snort a line."

Connor set the tea down. "Did you guys really think I-"

"No time, Connor." Veronica patted his head, and he slumped back in his chair.

"So that brings us to bachelor number three." She circled the table to stand behind Logan, and put her hands on his shoulders. He made himself sit very still. "Sure, he looks like an evildoer." She leaned in and sniffed his hair, and he pressed his palm into the table. "Smells like an evildoer. But, surprisingly, not so much. You see, Weevil said he hadn't searched the poolhouse as much as he would have liked, but when I saw the place a couple of days later it looked like it had been ransacked. Why would Logan look for the money if he had taken it himself?" She squeezed his shoulders then, and he knew why. She was reassuring him that she believed him even without the "proof."

With one last pat, Veronica stepped away from Logan and walked around to stand between Weevil and Sean. Logan looked between them. Neither made any sense as the thief. Weevil had won the money, and didn't really strike him as a cheat anyway. Sean had no need for the money...a grand to him was like pocket change.

"Ah, two left," said Veronica with a sly smile. "The boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the boy who lives in the most expensive house in the 09er zip. So, you want to know how Sean did it?"

Sean slumped down in his chair. Weevil turned and gave him a glare. Logan crossed his arms across his chest and smirked as she explained how Sean had slipped the money into one of his "ghetto aesthetic" beer bottles, waited for the recycling to get taken out, and collected the bottle from the trash. The big reveal, however, was that Sean was not, in fact, uber-rich, but rather the son of a butler.

As Weevil grabbed a stammering Sean by the collar and dragged him outside to discuss repayment, Veronica slid into Sean's vacated seat next to Logan. She reached over and grabbed the deck of cards. She tapped her foot against Logan's under the table and glanced at him before grinning at the others.

"Mind if I deal first?" she asked innocently.

Duncan leaned forward. "Want me to-" he stopped as the cards began to flip between her hands rapidly. He sat back, a look of surprise on his face.

Logan just watched her and tried not to think about how much he enjoyed watching her.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A couple of hours later, Connor sat back in his chair.

"She wins again," he said with a rueful smile. "I'm getting kind of hungry. Any chance we can take a snack break and crash the grown-up party?"

"I could eat," said Weevil, neatening his small pile of chips.

They all stood, Veronica taking an extra moment to put her last winnings into her pile. When she turned, she saw that the boys had all headed towards the main house except for Logan, who was waiting for her. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the others were far enough away, and then turned back.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

"Of course," she said. "Are you sure it's called 'talking,' though? I could have sworn-"

"And she's a comedian too, ladies and gentlemen. Seriously, I have a question for you."

She was silent then, waiting for him to ask whatever it was that was making him anxious. She could tell by the way he was pacing in and out of the bedroom.

Finally, he stopped in the doorway. "I heard you're going to Aspen next week," he said.

"I am," she said, surprised. "I was going mention it. Meg practically begged me to be her companion for the week. It really just got finalized today, and my dad is still pretending to think about whether or not to let me go. How did you hear about it?"

He watched her for a moment. "Duncan," he said.

"Oh." She leaned a hip against the table. "I didn't realize Duncan was going."

"If he wasn't before, he definitely is now," said Logan, still watching her carefully.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Maybe nothing. He hasn't...talked to you? About getting back together?"

She grimaced. Duncan had been a little friendly since finding out they weren't related after all. She hadn't minded - a part of her wanted things to go back to the way they were before Lilly died. Different, of course, but the thought of the three of them hanging out again made her feel sort of warm from the inside.

That didn't mean she wanted Duncan getting any ideas about extending the boundaries of their newly reformed friendship. She regarded Logan, who was still watching her steadily.

_From the looks of it, Logan doesn't want him getting those ideas either. And there it is, Veronica, you've become just like every other girl: a little pleased that your man is exhibiting some jealousy._

Just as she was about to reassure him that Duncan hadn't made any move, and that she wouldn't be receptive to anything like that, Logan pushed away from the doorway and strode into the bedroom.

"Never mind," he muttered, as he walked away.

She followed him. "He hasn't talked to me, Logan," she said. He had stopped at the foot of the bed, facing away from her, his arms folded. "And if he did..."

"Do you want me to fight for you?" he asked softly.

"No! Logan, you throwing punches at Duncan is not going to resolve this."

He spun around, rolled his eyes skyward. "No, I didn't mean - I meant do you want me to carry your books, open doors for you, buy you teddy bears that say 'I Wuv You Beary Much.'"

She grinned at the last image. "I prefer my bears won through a demonstration of ring-tossing ability, thank you."

He threaded his hands through his hair and sank down onto the bed. "Show me the carnival. I'll toss the hell out of those rings."

"Seriously, Logan, this is ridiculous." She sat beside him. "Listen to me very carefully. I am not interested in Duncan. I do not have feelings for Duncan. Not anymore."

"Duncan is still in love with you," he mumbled towards the ground. "He told me so. He wants to get back together with you."

"And I could care less. I don't want to be with him. I want you. Do you believe me?"

He looked up at her, and she saw that he didn't, not really.

_Is it so hard for him to believe someone would choose him? What has his father done to him? What has Lilly done to him?_

She took his face in her hands, leaned in, and kissed him. She kissed him with everything she was feeling: affection, trust, desire, friendship...and something more that she wasn't willing to think about just yet. She poured herself into the kiss, hoping that he could feel it too.

When she pulled back, he was looking at her seriously, his eyes dark.

"Do you believe me _now_?" she whispered.

A slow smile spread across his face. "I don't know," he said. "I might need a little more convincing."

With a laugh, she pushed him back on the bed and threw her leg over his waist, descending on his mouth again. As she settled against his chest, he let out a sigh of relief and pulled her more tightly against him before rolling them over so he was on top of her.

After a moment, he pulled back slightly, looking at her seriously.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you sure?"

As an answer, she leaned up and kissed him again. He responded, but once again pulled back.

"So, what? You're like, my girlfriend now?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "If you want me to be."

He grinned. "I want."

He lowered himself back to her mouth and she let herself enjoy him. His hands toyed with the edges of her sweater, his fingertips slipping underneath to skim over the skin at her waste, making her shiver. At her response, his hands moved higher up her back, and circled around to her front. She pulled away from his mouth so that he could work her sweater up and over her head, and then descended once more.

With a grin, he rolled them over so he was holding himself above her, and then began placing soft kisses on her cheeks, her neck, and her shoulders. The feel of him on her bare skin was somehow both thrilling and comforting, and she wanted to touch him as well. She pushed him up and yanked at his shirt, and understanding, he flipped it off and tossed it over his shoulder in one fluid motion. Then he assaulted her mouth, and everything went grey.

Somewhere on the edges of all of that, she heard a door open, and a voice call out, "Logan?" Footsteps approached the room.

"What the hell?"

She had the briefest of moments to register that the voice was Duncan's before Logan was yanked off of her. She scrambled to her feet as Duncan began to punch Logan, who simply raised his hands to defend himself.

"Duncan! Duncan, stop!" She ran over and grabbed at Duncan, but he threw her off and closed his hands around Logan's neck, shoving him up against the wall.

Without thinking things through, she jumped on Duncan's back and pulled until he stumbled backwards, sending them both to the floor. She struggled for a moment until she realized that Duncan wasn't moving.

"Veronica." Logan pushed off the wall and ran to where she was lying on her back, rolling Duncan off of her. "Are you okay?" he asked, gathering her into his arms.

She nodded, but pulled free, turning to Duncan. "What's wrong with him?" she asked. "Duncan? Can you hear me?"

Logan helped her roll Duncan onto his back. His eyes were closed, his face slack, but he seemed to be breathing normally.

"I think he fainted," said Logan.

"Why would he faint?" Veronica stood up, found their shirts, and tossed Logan's to him. "What do you mean?" she asked, pulling her sweater over her head. She returned to crouching on the floor next to Duncan.

Logan frowned. "I don't know. Duncan?" He patted Duncan's cheek. "Duncan?"

Duncan's eyelids fluttered, and then opened. He looked up at Veronica and Logan, and shook his head as if to clear it.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You...fainted, I think," said Veronica.

Duncan smiled sheepishly, and sat up slowly. "That's so weird. I feel okay," he said, rolling his shoulders.

"What happened?" asked Veronica. "I mean, you came in here and-"

"And just boom, on the ground," said Logan. Veronica shot him a surprised glance, and he shook his head slightly. She got the message, but didn't understand why.

Duncan stood up, and Veronica and Logan hurried to their feet in case he needed them.

"I don't know," he said. "But hey, Logan, your Dad is looking for you. Something about the Mayor."

"Then I guess we should make an appearance," said Logan. "Daddy beckons, so we much oblige." He started for the door, and turned to Veronica. "Coming?" he asked.

She nodded, and followed the boys out of the poolhouse. She let them get a little ahead of her, lingering by the pool, so she could think.

She didn't know what had just happened with Duncan, but he obviously didn't remember walking in on her and Logan, or trying to strangle Logan. For some reason, Logan was letting that stay under wraps. Until she had a chance to talk to him, she'd just have to go along. If Duncan had a problem with her dating Logan, did that mean Logan would back off to make Duncan happy?

The thought made her stomach turn, but she didn't have any answers. For now, she'd have to wait and see. She made her way into the house in time to see her father rushing across a brightly lit room to tackle a waitress, and Aaron Echolls stumbling backwards, his hand to his bloody stomach.

-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-

A/N3: Well, there you have it! Next up, a week in Aspen with the gang...


End file.
